The fever has passed, but the lethargy lingers. Seems I'm not the only one who experienced symptoms after the influenza vaccine. At least 2 other MOs had malaise and myalgia, but they managed to sleep it off. Hmmm... if I'd stayed home on Friday, I probably would've been okay yesterday, and the poor standby MO wouldn't have been called down to cover me. Mom! Take note the next time I tell you I don't feel well -- I'm not being lazy! :)

Now my throat's starting to hurt a bit. I've got night shift tomorrow, choir practice in church on Tuesday ( though I'm just playing piano, not singing ), and a day off ( but spent running errands yet again ) on Wednesday. I was supposed to get next Friday off as well, but am now working the afternoon shift as payback to the MO who covered my duty last night. Sigh. The only upside to all this is that I'll get Clay's CD this week, hopefully on Wednesday. Nothing like some great music from Clay to make me feel better. :D

The shift today has been pretty all right so far. We've got the usual NS boys with an assortment of complaints that need sifting through. I've been pretty generous with the medical leave, mostly because I am more sympathetic when I don't feel well myself, but also because I'm just not in the mood to argue with them ( some of these army guys are experts at begging or twisting your arm, though none of them showed up with overly concerned parents, to my relief ). Only 2 more hours to go. Help...

My apologies to those who've been checking for more excerpts from The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. I'm still reading it faithfully, but have decided to stop posting about it, partly because of time constraints, and lalso the fact that I'm usually logged on without the book beside me, or if I do have it, I'm too busy with something else to write anything substantial about it. I've already missed quite a few chapters, and don't want to write on all of them at one go, so I hope what I posted here before has piqued your interest sufficiently, 'cos a few of my friends have bought the book at my suggestion, and agree that it's terrific. One of them suggests TecMan, a Christian bookshop at Bras Basah Complex, which has this in the soft cover version, costing less than $20. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Anyway, here's a really funny post from a fan about the video shoot for "Invisible". Lucky, lucky girl. :D

And here're some photos of Clay.

Was meaning to write about the trailer for Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, but was sidetracked by the world premiere of Clay's Run To Me on Singapore radio. :P I watched it again today, and wow, it is awesome! The Two Towers was grand, and The Fellowship Of The Ring was inspiring, but this last installment promises to be both, and perhaps a lot more. Scenes featuring Gandalf never fail to dazzle. In the first chapter of the trilogy, we had him confronting the demon Balrog in the mines of Moria, as he waved his staff and demonstrated his power in order to protect his charges. Then, at Helm's Deep, he charged down the mountain with an army of soldiers, the white light from his staff blinding his enemies before he leapt into their midst and engaged in battle. Now, in this final chapter, he rides across an open field, his staff illuminating the sky once again. Wow!
Of course, it's always a great pleasure to see familiar faces once more, especially Aragorn ( my favourite, played by the ruggedly handsome and intense Viggo Mortensen ) and Legolas ( Orlando Bloom, in fine form ). The battle scenes promise to be of even greater epic proportions, and Aragorn might face a love triangle situation as well.

The film opens in New Zealand on December 1st, with all the stars and the director, Peter Jackson, in attendance. I was hoping to see them on the red carpet, but my trip to NZ starts only on the 5th. However, I hope to immerse myself in the adrenaline-filled atmosphere, as the movie will officially open on December 17th, while I am touring the North Island. I have also signed up for some LOTR tours in Christchurch and Wellington, which have received rave reviews. Can't wait! :D

Survivor: Pearl Islands is getting very interesting. I'm still a little miffed that it didn't win the Emmy for Best Reality Series ( The Amazing Race got that one ). Although I like The Amazing Race, I think it's a lot more challenging to keep viewers interested in a show that does NOT offer non-stop action. The Amazing Race has tonnes of this, no doubt, and its educational value is unsurpassed. But the Survivor series is an excellent study in human nature in all its various complex forms. I never once imagined watching a bunch of scruffy adults marooned in the wild for 39 days would be so compelling. And the finale is always full of surprises.

With the Pearl Islands season, the producers manipulate the participants in a very cruel manner. Since the cameramen follow the players around and record their every move ( except for the bathing and toileting ), strategies are taken note of, and in the latest episode, the powers that be decided to throw in a whammy of a twist to throw the teams off balance. When the Drake tribe, after a winning streak of 6 challenges, finally couldn't stand one of their members anymore and decided to lose on purpose so they could go to tribal council to vote the irritating person off, host Jeff Probst threw them a curve ball by letting the winning Morgan tribe pick someone from Drake to join their team. As I predicted, Rupert, the guy who looks like a smaller-sized Hagrid ( that's the giant from the Harry Potter films ), ended up as first choice. In the next episode, we will see Rupert teaching the Morgan tribe members how to fish -- something they never got round to learning. Just seeing the happy looks on their faces after having to survive on coconuts and other pathetic cuisine for the past 10 days is enough to keep me glued to my TV set.

Right now, there are 2 strong contenders for the title: Rupert ( everyone loves him, he's the strongest physically, and a great asset as a food provider ), and Andrew the celebrity lawyer ( I read that he's represented either Jerry Springer or Howard Stern ). The latter is popular, and a good leader. He's also smart and keeps a low profile, but reads people very well and makes savvy decisions.

Osten is the most intriguing so far. This African-American is big on attitude and muscle power, but has a habit of collapsing under pressure at the worst times. He gave up a few episodes ago after his tribe lost yet another challenge, but rose to the occasion not long after in a physically exhausting competition that he eventually lost. Then, in the latest reward challenge, he panicked while out in the ocean, and had to be brought back to shore by 2 of his fellow team-mates. Surprisingly, he has remained strong since his first breakdown. Things should improve with Rupert on board, and I sincerely hope Osten will do better in future episodes.

And as for The Bachelor 3, the kiss-fest has begun! Andrew is getting into game form and smooching every single lady he dates, even getting a few of them pretty riled up ( one practically interrogated him, irritating him -- and myself -- no end ). It's part of the process, woman. If you're going to be possessive, you're on the wrong show! The lady he chooses in the end is again not given much screen time. She doesn't even get a one-on-one date with Andrew in this episode, and he is completely hung on Kirsten ( or Kristen, I forget ). Well, I like the lady he FINALLY chooses, so I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship blossoms and he discovers something about her that he loves.

Boy, am I tired. Good thing it's a pretty quiet shift, or I'd be really depressed right now. Till tomorrow then. :)