Yes, guys, we spoke too soon. Well, actually we didn't. We were hoping, but now that a new SARS case has surfaced here, we've got another 20 days to go before the next possible WHO declaration may occur.

The new patient is a 39-year-old man who's a Malaysian, but who works in Singapore and shuttles between the 2 countries. It's interesting to see the chronology of events during his illness. He had fever for about a week, during which he saw his GP 5 times before being sent to TTSH for further management. He is now in critical condition.

The obviously unnerving fact is this: how did a person with no history of travel to SARS-affected countries or exposure to SARS-affected people, contract SARS? And where exactly did he get the bug -- Singapore or Johor Baru? And why did it take multiple tests to finally diagnose the condition in him?

Implications abound:
That there may be an asymptomatic carrier lurking in the community.
That the bug may have been transmitted through fomites rather than via human contact.
That we may never find the person(s) who passed it to this new case.
That the coronavirus may not be detected in all patients with SARS.

The last statement certainly applies to all patients we see, now that we have a case with no positive contact history on our hands. Just the other night, the A&E Department sent up about 5 cases to the intensive care unit, most of whom had abnormal chest X-rays. Sure, none had any risk factors for SARS, but after this latest case was revealed, will we ever feel safe again? Bear in mind that we don't test every patient for the virus. The question is: should we?

An article by Andy Ho, a Straits Times reporter, attempts to raise morale after this recent hope-dashing event. And I do agree with many of the points he makes. Sure, it's another hurdle to overcome, but we've done well so far, and should continue with our efforts so we can reach the finish line in one piece. Throwing in the towel now would be foolish. And yes, life goes on. A month or two ago, I didn't even dare to go to public places for fear of catching something. I haven't seen a movie since Daredevil in, oh, February? But yesterday's news didn't faze me at all, and when I have my off day tomorrow, I'm going to catch Matrix Reloaded, and go scouting for some CDs as well. :)

And by the way, the story about the "swimming locust" sounds a tad different from the version I heard -- from a Hollywood film, the title of which I can't recall. That one had 2 ants, I believe. After both fell into the milk, one just gave up, sank and drowned. The other fought for his life, and kept swimming till the milk got churned into butter. Just thought I'd mention that.


And now, for some good ol' Claymania. :D Yes, the finals will be airing in America on Tuesday ( which will be Wednesday afternoon in Singapore ), and anticipation is high for everyone who's been following the show. Just visit any Clay Aiken fansite and you'll see the message boards and chat rooms going into major overdrive. You all know I've been rooting for Clay since the beginning, so here's a final recap of his many terrific performances that helped him get to the final 2.

1. The Atlanta audition -- Audiences got their first look at Clay, pre-makeover, where he sang Always And Forever, clad in Coke-bottle glasses, and sporting a less-than-flattering hairstyle ( I'm still clueless as to whether the deep red colour is natural ). Still, Randy and Simon saw past his non-American-Idol image, and let him through to the next round. Good call!

2. The Top 32 -- Clay breezed through the next few gruelling tests to get to the final 32. He sang Open Arms, originally done by Journey. It's a really tough song, but he pulled it off beautifully. Sadly, America wasn't that impressed at the time, and although Clay was in the top 3, he didn't make the top 2.

3. The Wild Card Show -- This time, he sang Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, by Elton John, and emerged the audience's choice, beating all the others to go on to the final 12. I stress "audience's choice", 'cos the other 2 wild cards, Carmen and Trenyce, were picked by the judges. This marked the start of the love story between Clay and American viewers, as well as my admiration for his immense talent. :)

4. Motown Night -- He sang I Can't Help Myself, an upbeat and happy piece that made him even more appealing. Simon, however, called it "Motown the musical", in reference to his constant ribbing about Clay's over-the-top vocals. Audiences didn't care, and Clay sailed through to the next round.

5. Movie Night -- His soulfully beautiful rendition of Somewhere Out There from An American Tail had everyone swooning, and Gladys Knight on her feet! This remains one of his very best performances in the competition, and even Simon told him he was the one the others had to beat!

6. Country Night -- A rather boring theme, and the choice of song, Someone Else's Star, didn't strike a chord with me. But once again, Clay's flawless singing was a pleasure to hear.

7. Disco Night -- It was a great opportunity to see Clay dressed in some Ah Beng fashion, but it was his 14 seconds of holding a high note at the end of Everlasting Love that blew everyone away. He didn't dance much though, but that would change in the coming weeks.

8. BillBoard #1 Hits Night -- At This Moment was given a heart-wrenching and powerful treatment by Clay, who made the women scream when he sang "I would get down on my knees and kiss the ground that you walk on". Sigh. :)

9. Billy Joel Night -- Clay chose Tell Her About It, a nice uptempo pop tribute to Motown, and got the audience going without any effort. I thought he would've been perfect for Leave A Tender Moment Alone, another billy Joel classic, but let's face it, Clay would've gotten through no matter what he sang!

10. Diane Warren Night -- His choice of song, I Could Not Ask For More, was a little unusual, since Warren is well-known for writing much bigger hits. Just goes to show how talented he is, 'cos he nailed it anyway, and voters had no problem pushing him through.

11. The 60's / Neil Sedaka Night -- Another one of my favourite Clay performances! Build Me Up Buttercup had never sounded this good till he took the helm! And there was a marked change in his level of confidence, as he relaxed on-camera, smiled cheekily, and even boogied a little during the song. Neil Sedaka told him he'd "kill" to write and produce Clay's CD, and his subsequent rendition of Solitaire sealed his fate, as he once again breezed on through unscathed, while hot favourite Ruben Studdard somehow got kicked to the bottom 3.

12. BeeGees Night -- Clay's fantastic/superb/fabulous ( okay, I'll stop! ) singing of To Love Somebody was rated by Simon as one of the best performances he's ever seen. And for the first time, Clay fans were ecstatic when he shook his hips during Grease. :D

13. Top 3 Finalists Night -- Although he didn't sing Vincent very well, it was through no fault of his own. First, this was a random song pick, as contestants had to draw the titles out of a bowl. Second, there was a last-minute change in the arrangement of the piece, which explained why Clay appeared to have forgotten the lyrics, but in fact, he didn't. He'd merely missed the cue to enter, and decided to wait for the next verse instead. I admire his diplomacy, 'cos the judges crucified him, yet he remained silent and took their criticisms with humility and respect. He once said in an interview that in real life, he always fights for what he thinks is right, but when he's on TV, he makes an effort to keep that in check, 'cos "children are watching", and he doesn't want to project the wrong image of an American idol. But no matter. He bounced right back with Mack The Knife, where he looked right in his element in a cool tux, snapping his fingers to the beat. And who can ever forget Unchained Melody, which will be Clay Aiken's song from now on? Justin Guarini, the runner-up from last year's American Idol, couldn't even come close with his lame version!


There's been rampant speculation about what Clay will sing for the final show. Some say 4 songs, some 5, some 2. A few guess Clay and Ruben will have to sing one common song, others say it'll be an original composition specially written for them, etc. The possibilities are endless. I just hope Clay will be allowed to make his own song choices, and that he will pick one fast, catchy number, followed by one that showcases his amazing power and range. And he should wink at the camera, just once -- that'll be the icing on the cake, and propel him to victory for sure.

Good luck, Clay!