"Me no likey the sun in the morning. Especially with a lack of vocabulary and cohesion."

"Kranji," a female voice crooned from the dozens of speakers positioned from the various angles of the train.

Don moved sluggishly across the train.

Damn, it's a going to be a boring day today.

Still, something was different today. It was no longer a rain-drenched morning.

What a splendid view.

As Don laid eyes on the aesthetic beauty of the sequittal surroundings, he noticed something out of the ordinary, the glory of the rising sun.

Ah, the dawn.

Invigoration was felt from within. A thin veil of clouds scattered across the cyan sky, its ashy pigment providing a soft blend of colours to anything it touches.

The bright orange hue of Sol spread elongated amongst the polychromatic river. A source of strength, a kneadling of power.

Don no longer feels tired. Not then, anyway. Memories laid afloat in his mind.

Anderson.

Only less than a year ago did Don experience such a feeling while on the way to Anderson. The bus filled with sleepy commuters and a grumpy bus-driver. None hindered such an experience.

And its iridescent rays bringing warmth and hope to whatever it touches...

... De Novo. The sun's rays signifying new beginnings...

The sun, the dawn, peeking from the shroud of flora of Bukit Gombak. Everything looked the different, yet so familiar.

The greens seen by the hills of Ang Mo Kio Park... Just like the jaded forests of Bukit Gombak.

The flowers by the residential houses nearby... A dead ringer of the efflorescence in Marsiling.

The waters in the 'longkang' a mere distance from the bus-stop... Exactly like the waters in the 'longkang' in Choa Chu Kang.

What splendor...

What magnificence...

Don unwittingly turned his gaze onto the sun itself, sheltered by the clouds and residing flora as he appreciated the beauty of the moment.

"Bukit Gombak."

Flora was replaced with concrete and metal, refracting the sheer intensity of the sun's rays into the Don's pupils.

It burned.

Basket, damn bright sia!

"You can only call yourself a pasta-maniac only when you can differentiate a chicken bolognese with linguini and a beef bolognese with spaghetti in only one glance!"

The clock was ticking. Twenty two.

"Dhoby Ghaut station."

ZOOM!

Can't be late... Can't be late!

It was the first day of work in PastaMania.

Hurried footsteps brought Don into a fatigued stupor as he entered the frosty ambience of Plaza Singapura. Damn, when was it ever so cold in here? PastaMania was just around the corner of Watson's.

Five twenty-eight beeped on the analog watch. So many unfamiliar faces!

"Hey, are you the new guy?" A familiar voice quavered through the radio-ed music.

Don turned around, and saw Edward. The boss.

"Uh, yeah. Hi."

"Hi, what hi. You're almost late. Go punch in your card, then go change. Don't be late the next time, okay? We'll deduct your pay by doubling your lateness." Late for a minute, deduct fifteen minutes of pay. Late fifteen minutes, deduct thirty minutes. Thirty minutes, an hour.

"That means that if you're late for two hours, don't bother coming to work at all!" A finger prodded Don.

Huh?

"Wei, Maggie, don't teach the new guy bad things, la."

"New guy? Where?" A cook popped out from the kitchen.

"Hey guys, there's a new guy here!" One said.

"Where? Woah. This kid is tall," another commented.

"Hey, hi, new guy!"

"Hi," Don grinned sheepishly.

Ew, I'm the NEW guy.

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.

"Oh, hey. I'm Maggie. Boss told me to teach ya."

"Mmhm."

"Okay, so the job is pretty simple. You've done this before, haven't ya?"

Don thought of his time in Terra. He nodded his head.

"Great. So it's just serve plates, clear plates, and crowd control. As for now, you'll learn clearing. You'll have to learn the different dishes we have here, first. Now, gogogo. See that guy with a tray on the table? Go clear it. And that woman there, at table 72, with the finished Mussels and Clams."

Wait.

"Howja know it's Mussels and Clams?" Don squinted at the table over at the other end of the restaurant.

"Of course I do, silly. There are two large shells on her side-plate. I'll tell you more about serving later."

Impressive.

"Maggie here is one of our best employees, la. She's been here for more than a year, already! You should see her closing later. Girl's so fast, you won't even notice she's been doing it."Boss quipped before nudging Don in the direction of Table 72.

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Spaghetti is just like sek mee.
Linguini is broader and flatter, like mee pok.
Penne has a hole in its long, pointed structure.
Fusili is spiralled.
Farfalle is shaped like a ribbon.

Right.

"Okay, test time. What's this dish?"

It's a plate of noodles splattered with tomato sauce.

"Uh, bolognese?"

"Nope. It's Pomodoro. Just tomato gravy on it. Bolognese has chunks of meat in it. Now, this is bolognese," Maggie showed Don another dish. There were white chunks of meat on the rich tomato-gravy complementing the stringy noodles.

Still looks like a plate of noodles splattered with tomato sauce.

"Chicken, right?" Don looked at Maggie for confirmation.

"Yep. Hey, you learn pretty fast!"

Because there's only two kinds of bolognese served here, and beef is certainly not white and chunky!

"Okay, then what's this?" Don was shown another plate.

The dish had a soupy texture to it. Two mussels adourned the sides of the dish. Clams laid hidden beneath the hot, piping exterior.

Two shells? Mussel shells...

"Mussels and clams."

"Great! What about this?"

Same thing, just with only one mussel now.

Seafood something...

"Seafood surprise?"

"No, la!" The girl giggled. "Seafood MANIA!"

Ohh!

"So, two mussels, M&C. One mussel, Seafood Mania. No mussels and only clams, Vongole."

Right!

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.

Time passed quickly, and it was time for closing. Don had to fill up the jars of cheese, wipe the tables and chairs, clean the counters, collect the condiments...

... And most of them were already done by the time Don got to it.

"Told you Maggie was fast," Boss looked over the counter at dumbfounded Don.

Hell yeah, she is.

"Just go refill tabasco and stack the chairs up. Then you can call it a night."

"Mmkay."

Ten forty PM, and it was time to go home.

"Wei, Weiwen, don't forget to punch in your card before you leave! Then pass it to me for signing."

Hey, he remembers my name, now!

"Anyway, good job today. Could be faster, though. You'll be fine in a few weeks. Welcome aboard Pastamania."

Hurrah.

The silent night broken by raucous birdsong.

Ugh... It's morning already?

"Eh, wake up already. You need to go school, right!" Yati prodded Don awake.

"No la..." Went Don systematically, "I already graduated from my school already, what!"

"Today you need go new school!"

Oh ya, hor.

It was the third of January.

- - - - -

6.15 am had Dominic knocking on Don's door.

"Wei, you ready already?"

"Almost, la."

They would have to meet Leonard and Zhong Kang at Compass point in...

"Five minutes, leh!" Dom glanced at Don, who smiled at him cheekily.

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"What do you think Millennia would be like?" Don questioned. His reply came in the form of a shrug.

I just hope it'll be good.

- - -

Introductions start. Friendly-mode.

"Hey, hi."

"Hi."

"Oh, this is Weiwen."

"Zhong Kang."

"Leonard."

"Hey."

"Hey."

Introductions over. Revert to guy-mode.

"Hey," Dominic nudged Don. "TKGS girl."

"Yes, yes, I know... Huh? Where?" Don just HAD to look.

What? I'm single!

Throughout the entire span of two hours, the foursome had this little game going on. It's something like "I spy", but only with female students. Preferably all-girl schools.

So we're basically talking "yellow" Crescents, Polka-dotted St. Marges', any of the pina-fored convents (like the Tanjong Katong girls), Sleeveless Nanyang, Sailor-suit Methodist Girls...

Now that you think about it, that's alot of schools. And ALOT of girls.

Oh, and why did we do it?

*looks down*

I don't know. =D

- - -

An eternity later, we finally got off Bus 66. There, in its newly-built splendor, the building of Millennia Institute.

"Wa-sey. We should actually be happy that we going to this, leh," Dominic said, to the curiosity of the others.

"You see ah, how many places in Singapore can be called 'institutes', leh! There's Raffles, Hwa Chong..."

"Err, Dom. I think they're called INSTITUTIONS. The only other 'institute' in Singapore is... well..." Don hesitated.

"Woodbridge." It was an unanimous answer.

- - -

"Let's cut this short. It gives me a headache describing anything about Millennia."

Day One

"Welcome to Millennia. Our theme this year is De Novo, which means 'a new beginning'."

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.

Orientation sucked.

Still, the houses had awesome names (Or rather, they were called clans).

Wa, like MMORPG!

The following clan names of Millenia are defined by Don.

Aldora- Clan of fantasy-based origins. Wielder of magic. At war with Electra.
Electra- Clan based on the industrial revolution. Wielder of science. At war with Aldora.

Sol- Clan in the space-age. Wielder of advanced technology. At war with Utu.
Utu- Clan in the Mesozoic Era. Wielder of brute might. May or may not have discovered fire. At war with Sol.

Hesper- Clan with a royal bloodline. Intelligent and charismatic. Suspended treaty with Idalia.
Idalia- Clan of paganistic origins. Religious and disciplined. Suspended treaty with Hesper.

Kyra- Clan of noble folksmen dating back to medieval times. Wielder of alchemy and synthesis. At war with Mahana.
Mahana- Clan of tribal savages; islanders. Wielder of ancient knowledge and voodoo. At war with Kyra.

Stories could be written to explain their on-going buay-song-ness, but doing so would consume an obscene amount of time.

Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

Don was sorted into Kakina. Jujuba. Hamana. Banana. MAHANA FOUR.

Ooga ooga booga! *waves spear in hand, whilst adjusting feathered mask*

~

The only programmes were lectures , introducing all the Pre-U 1s to the various 'new' stuff that has been implemented.

Like we've not done our research.

Lectures, lectures, and more lectures. Four long hours of lectures.

Which sane person would stuff hundreds of teenagers into a seemingly non-air-conditioned 'hall' for four whole hours?!

Combination choices, introductions to subjects, blah blah blah. Oh, and chinese is still compulsory, even for those who have taken Higher Chinese in secondary school.

But... I've been told...

Nope. The fuckers lied. Chinese is STILL compulsory, even for the HMTL students.

Lazing in the grassy knoll with Dominic behind the school seemed to be a better way to pass the time.

And it was.

- - -

Day Two

9.15am

"Aren't we late for school?"

"And go for the gawd-knows-how-long talk on discipline by a horribly-accented teacher?"

"Let's be late."

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.
.

A little over an hour later did Don and the usual gang reach Millennia.

So how do we enter the school? There's sure to be some security and at least a locked...

The front gate was wide open. No patrol guard was on duty.

Okay... That'll do.

As expected, the disciplinary talk was still ongoing. Surely they had to do something to pass the time? A deck of cards answered their call... for just about the span of ten minutes.

The cards were confiscated.

"Don't you know that playing cards are prohibited in this institution?"

Institute, damnit.

The teacher looked closely at the uniforms of the foursome that were playing. Three of them came from Nan Chiau, which left Don pretty much out of the whole scene.

Wow, being a minority sure pays off!

"Did Nan Chiau allow students to play cards?" Another hypothetical question was asked.

Zhong Kang shot back, "We play during break times. You can ask the discipline master."

Oh yeah, good shot! Punch harder, under the ribs, under the ribs!

"Yea? How about we give a call to your DM?"

"Go ahead, la."

"Eh, if he call, then how?" Don whispered to Dominic, out of earshot of the bespectacled man.

"Aiyah, don't worry," came the reply.

Sure enough, the tie-wearing chimpanzee came back moments later 'telling' the foursome not to play cards in MI, even though they COULD in their previous school.

Ha! Knockout! K.O.!

A glance or two was thrown at the parting man before Don finally asked, "So your DM really knows that you guys play cards, ah?"

"Duhh. He not blind one, lah. Just close one eye, lo."

Damn, Nan Chiau's DM sounds awesome.

~

Cheer was back in the air as the games started. Mahana lived up to its name.

It was a total rampage as Mahana beat Kyra by an excess of more than a dozen people in Poisonball, and a quick win in Captain's ball.

Yet, the councillors had to play devil's advocate and stop the 'wet games' (damnit) due to "lack of time".

It was time for the MI dance, the dance between a lovely couple comprising of a male and a female, both whom have not been aquainted before and most probably klutzy with footwork.

The dance was a bloody two-steps-to-every-five-seconds kinda dance!

"Step left, step right, now step left again... Now right again... Guys, put your hands behind your back when you dance..."

Dance dance revolution presented a higher difficulty.

Bleh.

- - -

Day Three

The last day of orientation.

Finally!..

.. And then it's back to classes?

It was Games Day (if you don't count the four hours wasted before the games).

Yay?

Balloon popping @ 11am. A balloon is tied to your ankle, and you have to protect that piece of inflated rubber while attempting to pop the balloons of others. Free-for-all clan match.

Don got eliminated within the next five minutes. =(

It was a backstab, I swear!

Nevertheless, Mahana still won with at least dozens remaining on the field.

Ha! Take that, Kyra!

~

Scavenger Hunt wasn't too bad, either.

Thirty-five random items were chosen. Rules?
Get the most items without leaving the stadium to win.

Part of the list would be these:-

Live insect- Catch an ant!

1.5l Coke bottle- There was one discarded by the side of the stadium.

Parker pen- The word 'Parker' was written over the word 'Pilot' with permanent ink.

Blue handphone strap- Someone painted her PINK handphone strap blue with marker ink.

Puma bag- Plenty in the stadium! =)

A piece of paper with at least a thousnd words on it; must have integrity with this item- The gals started writing nine hundred and ninety eight 'Intergrity' words on foolscap paper. The other two words present on the paper were 'Millennia' and 'Institute'.

NTUC plastic bag- Someone had it store his compact umbrella.

6kg medicine ball- A few were lying around the place.

Batman mask- Draw, then cut out! ROFL.

Nail file- Don had one in his bag. *blushes*

Gatsby hair wax- Don didn't have that in his bag! Someone else did. Haha!

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.
.

Mahana produced twenty good items, tied for first place in this particular game. (The batman mask was counted as acceptable, yay!)

But just when you thought that Mahana, being winners of EVERY game (hehe), would SURELY be winners, something catastrophic had to happen.

The whole versus clan thing is played by awarding points. Win a game, get a hundred points or something. Think Harry Potter, without the magical bull. The lower your points, the bigger loser you are.

So while Mahana was the only clan so far to achieve 600+ points, she had her OG cards stolen by the other clans' orientation group leaders. One lost card would fetch a negative fifty points. Mahana lost four of them due to negligence of her OG leader.

Or was it a conspiracy? They prolly just did that to balance the scores up...

But nevermind that, Don and the other Mahana Bananas went on a skirmish to reclaim the missing placards. That meant doing manual labour for the other clans' OGs, forfeits... the such.

It was damn fun, though.

Of course, doing these would void the point penalty.

Prize presentation followed the performed dances and skits by the various clans and their clan parades.

"Best skit..."

"Kyra!"

"Best mascot..."

"Electra!"

~

"And last but not least..."

"... The overall champion of De Novo 2007, drum roll please..."

Oh, get on with it and proclaim us winners already! xD

"MAAAAA-HAAAAAA-NAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The flag was hoisted by Don and the others, leading the hundred-strong Mahana-ians in a 400m run around the school track.

"EVERYWHERE WE GO!"

"Everywhere we go!!"

"PEOPLE WANNA KNOW..."

"People wanna know!!"

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.
.

And as we have fallen down, we pick ourselves up, and start anew... Together.

De Novo. Is this really a new beginning?

Bleh.

Mi sTiLlz dUwNz g0eS MI !!11!!~~

"Uh, and I have to HAVE goals now? What a chore." xD


- - -

On the first day of new year,
My conscience said to me...

Start blogging 3 times a week!

- - -
- - -

On the fifth day of new year,
My conscience said to me...

GAIN FIVE KAY-GEE!

Start saving money,
Work out 3 times a week,
Stop procrastinating,
and...
Start blogging 3 times a week!

- - -

- - -

On the ninth day of new year,
My conscience said to me...

Concentrate on task jobs,
Learn new instrumentals,
Stop being an asshole,
Study everyday,

GAIN FIVE KAY-GEE!

Start saving money,
Work out 3 times a week,
Stop procrastinating,
and...
Start blogging 3 times a week!

- - -

"Isn't it hard to believe how fast time has passed? It's already year 2007."

"Wei, Jasper. So eat what now?"

It was new year's eve. There Don was, in the middle of Plaza Singapura, with Jasper. Yes, Jasper is a guy's name. On new year's eve, yes.

"Hmm... There's a PastaMania here, right? Hey, I wanna eat that, leh."

"Suay pian."

If not for Jasper's whims, Don may not have found a new job.

The orange glow of PastaMania peeked through the brightly lit corridors of the Plaza Singapura's basement floor. There, many shops laid closed due to the late hour and occasion.

"Hello, welcome to PastaMania! Table for two?" A female voice squeaked above the crowd chatter.

"Huh, you guys still open, ar?" Jasper asked.

"Yep. Wanna place your orders first?"

"Uhh, okay. Want anything, WeiWen?"

"WeiWen?"

Don was too busy reading the sign on the glass panel by the side of the outlet.

Looking for part-timers! Must be above 16, fun, and energetic!

Above 16, check.
Fun, double check.
Energetic... Unchecked.
Hyperactive, check check check check check.

I think I'm suitable.

Don eyed a middle-aged man wearing a uniform different from the rest.

Should be manager, right? Anyhow hantam, sure can one.

"Erm, excuse me. May I have the job application form for PastaMania? I would like to join our crew," Don asked unwittingly.

"I'm sorry, sir. You'll have to come back another day. We only do job interviews on weekdays, preferably 2-5pm in the afternoon."

And that particular moment? Sunday, Public holiday, and 11pm in the evening.

"Oh, alright. Ah, sorry for the inconvenience! And please, don't call me sir."

"Hm?"

"Because I may have to call you sir soon!"

Good tactic, no?

Don went to take a seat at the table with Jasper, who was mighty curious of his friend's actions.

"Eh, you went to apply for job, arh? This time they accept, meh?"

"No la, but at least try luck, mah!"

"Orh, chey."

Just then, the very same man who Don asked about the job application came to the table.

"Excuse me, do you have any past experience working in a F&B outlet?" The portly man questioned.

"Uhhh, ya. I once worked as a hawker's assistant, then in Terra Cafe@Vivo."

"Work for how long?"

"Uhh, which one?"

.
.
.

The conversation went on for just about a minute more, then things took a change for the better.

"Wait here, please. I'll go get the form for you."

... And after the form was filled up?

"When can you start work?"

"Anytime you want me to."

"Good. You start first thing next week."

WAHAHAHAHAHA.

"Wa, pro." That was all Jasper could muster up.

"Duh, of course pro. I'm Don, what."

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.
.

"By the way, sir. How should I address you?" Don just had to ask.

"Oh, uhh. You can call me Edward. I'm the manager." And so, he walked away.

"Psst, that's Boss. He owns this whole outlet," a waitress nearby told me.

Zomg.

- - -

"So, where to now?"

"Go see fireworks, lo."

"Kay."

And just for the record...

- The last thing Don ate in the year 2006 was an egg-and-onion roti prata, smothered in mutton curry. Such a meal took place with Jasper as company, in a certain Juliet restaurant off the pier of Raffles Place.

- An attempt was made to enter Fullerton Hotel to take a look at its decorations, and to enjoy 'free air-conditioning'. Sadly, the security outside proved it un-admittable.

- Year 2007 fireworks display was watched with Jasper as company. He was probably the one that Don actually wished 'happy new year' to in year 2007.

Hence,

Don spent new year's eve with a guy in an indian restaurant, watched fireworks with him and both of them almost ended up in a hotel.

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Happy new year!