go with the flow.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

SMRT Challenge

It's rare to actually get to experience, first-hand, what those reality tv idiots experience as they run about the world in The Amazing Race. But I did! As in, I didn't travel round the globe lah, but I had that same feeling, that adrenaline and buzzing excitement that rings in the ears!

I'm talking 'bout the SMRT Challenge some Sunday ago. It started out when Karen and I saw the poster put up at one of the MRT stations and immediately we told each other we'd take part and have a go at the $2000! So we did, and we managed to get Taariq and A'in to form the team of four. The fab four. And we were so damn lucky that our application got selected! We were part of the 98 student teams that were selected out of a total of 200++ applications! Lucky!

Basically the travel race required us to run around Singapore using SMRT transport whilst fulfilling the tasks at hand. The starting point was at Ngee Ann City, and that morning I had a tummy ache 'cos of some bloody hazelnut cream donut from that 7-11 stand. It went down badly I think. So anyways I was fine afterwards and we were damn excited for the race to commence. It started out and suddenly there was a footrace to Orchard MRT Station. So being the smart asses we were, we took the tunnel at Wisma and there were no people there to footrace with! It was 10 in the morning and Wisma's basement that led to the station was freaking empty. That was an extremely smart move on our part lah, so we got to the station and settled in a corner to start solving the clues.

There were like riddles, wordplay, picture clues, weird hints, and there was even a maths sum that required you to factorise the given equation! We got to work, while other teams passed us (but it was ok 'cos those people prolly didn't even know where they were going) We narrowed down our options and got 6/8 of the clues solved in 'bout 10 minutes. Well, we were pretty doubtful of our guesses and answers 'cos it was really vague and could just be anything under the sun man. But we went ahead to the one at the Orchard skate park first, which was the one that I solved and Karen was so excited she put her hands on my head and started shaking me. Haha!

So we completed the station at Orchard, and then Raffles Place, and then we headed to Tanjong Pagar, where Taariq rock-climbed! So fantastic man... and there was this other team of dorks who footraced us when they saw us. Hurhur. After that was a station at Bishan, to the SMRT Depot, and it was there that we were so confident of ourselves 'cos we were really doing much better than we expected! And the chartered bus was only occupied by us and we realised that the $2000 prize money was so close, in our reach!

After Bishan we completed Bugis and Tanah Merah, then Expo. There was one more station that we were really doubtful of at first. Our first idea was Bukit Panjang, but we changed our minds and decided it was in the East (we thought Expo initially but turned out that another clue was for Expo instead) so when we realised that we had made a mistake, we kinda freaked out lah. Because it was our very last station, and it would either win us the money or cause us to lose it, depending on where the station was...

And guess what man... IT WAS AT BUKIT PANJANG!

Can you believe it man.. From Expo we had to travel all the way to Bukit Panjang LRT station... Our worst fears had been spelt out before our eyes, literally. We cabbed from Expo to our last station at Bukit Panjang lah (with the free cash vouchers they provided, but for one cab trip only) and only after that were we able to head back to the end point, Ngee Ann City again.

So screwed up right.. the train ride back was freaking slow and we slept in the train lah.. 'Cos the fatigue was really setting in.. and the suspense was really quite tough to manage. One fatal mistake man, and we were delayed for quite a bit.. So when we finally got back to Orchard, it was right on time, but we didn't stand to win anything lah. Not even the free Sony Ericson mobile phone per member (for the best 10 teams that didn't win the top 3 prizes) Not. even. that.

We ended up in position 26 for the students' category. Not good enough, but not that bad anyways! But nevermind! I was really proud of my team. They rocked lah, and we totally outdid ourselves man, running from place to place and playing it smart and fair. Unlike some losers who chose to cheat by calling/meeting up with their friends to help them (I myself saw that) or those who chose to play it rough!

Okay, I shall curse that guy here. On the way back to the end point, there was a footrace (like, again!) when this group of 4 guys spotted us emerging from the station, hot on their heels. The escalator was crowded and you know, ya have to keep left unless you're walking up right, to give way to others. But that bloody sucker, he blocked me (and my team mates behind me) on the long crowded escalator while his friends ran off in front. Can you believe it!? I was so shocked that someone like him would dare to piss me off like that man. So what did I do? I looked him in the eye and said Excuse me and when he didn't respond, choosing instead to look back into my eyes with a I'm-sorry-but-I-can't-help-it expression, I tried to push past him lah of course, but he resisted, and by that time I was already cursing and swearing under my breath and he had run off 'cos the escalator had reached the landing. What kinda sportsmanship is there in this man?

We got back to Ngee Ann, the end point right after them, like one second later, and we were directed to collect our goodie bags and record our timings and stuff. I caught that loser's gaze and stared hard at him. After collecting our things, his team was trying to get past ours to find a seat on the floor and since I was intentionally in the way, he had to get past me. You know what he did? He bloody hell kicked me in the shin from behind! It wasn't painful at all, but I was like fuming mad lah. What was he trying to prove by kicking me even after the race had ended? But I didn't retaliate. I guess it wasn't nice to create a scene there, but I was already satisfied, 'cos I know that when he kicked me, all the people sitting down on the floor saw and they all gave me a quizzical look when it was over.

I triumphed, you losers.

Anyways, we totally rocked and we'd try again next year! Watch this space!