Almost 2am right now, and feeling a little tired despite the adrenaline rush from earlier today. Yes, only ( checks watch ) 19 hours to go before I jump on the plane and head to New Zealand! Major packing this morning, but all done. Had to take my poor cat to Pets' Station to board him while we're away. Feeling really sad about that...

Anyhow, better not dwell on that or I'll never leave the country :P

Let's talk about something good, like Clay! :D

Perfect 10 Interview : The file was put up by fans in the US who streamed during the telecast on Thursday afternoon Singapore time. Absolutely amazing! The interview itself didn't offer any new revelations. Carrie Chong, the DJ who got to talk to him ( lucky, lucky lady! ) didn't know some of the facts that the whole world's already privy to, but Clay answered her questions very patiently, and even threw in some good-natured banter in between. Clay was just laughing the whole way, which was really cute. :)
Then at the very end, Carrie ( bless you! ) got him to sing 2 lines from Invisible a capella! He resisted initially, but relented quickly and belted it out, pitch perfect and clear as day. Be still my heart! My mom and I were tuning in from home, and loved it all! :D

Here's the link: Perfect 10 Interview Cap


New Photos Of Clay:

Scroll down to karebear's post of the pics. Clay's wearing clothes from Armani Exchange! I buy my stuff from them from time to time -- mostly winter wear -- and I just love how Clay looks in these outfits. Get a load of that smile! :P There's an A/X outlet in Singapore at Takashimaya. Hey, Clay, when you do drop by our shores, be sure to check this place out for some really gorgeous outfits. ;)

Grammy nominations for 2003 announced : Clay's not on it, sadly, but Kelly Clarkson is up for Best Female, which bodes well for the American Idol franchise. They say Clay wasn't eligible for the major categories because his album didn't meet the deadline, but then, he wasn't nominated for awards he was eligible for ( ie. Best Single, Best New Artist(?), People's Choice ). Oh well, the CD has many other great tracks, so hopefully he'll get his chance in 2004. :) Personally speaking, I think 2003 is going to be the year of Beyonce and Justin Timberlake. I like them both, so no complaints there!

Continuing this entry from where I left off earlier. :)

Couldn't really sleep during my rest time, so I'm still yawning. I hope to get off the shift at 8am on the dot so I can rush home, eat a big breakfast, then sleep for 6 hours before waking up to leave the house. I've never had to fly after a night call before, so I have no idea if this will aggravate my tendency to get motion sickness. Anyway, I've got my trusty Stemetil on standby, at a fellow MO's suggestion. If it works, all my problems are solved! :D

Okay, here's a rough guide to my itinerary ( from memory, 'cos the actual list is at home ):

Christchurch

Greymouth via TranzAlpine train

Fox Glacier -- this is probably the one we're joining, based on the timing in our schedule

Queenstown
-- looky here for one of the awesome LOTR tours we'll be joining!
--> Dart River LOTR Tours
--> and for an up-close pic of what we'll be doing on that jet boat, click HERE
( I was telling my mom about it yesterday, and she looked a bit pensive, but didn't say anything else, thank goodness! She refuses to let me go bungee jumping though. *mumble mumble* )

There's also a Taieri Gorge Railway train ride we're hopping on to Dunedin, which you can check out here.
-- it's ranked right up there with a famous mountain railway in Colorado.

Wellington
-- this is where the other LOTR tour is ( links available below in the Dec 3 entry )

Lake Taupo
-- breath-taking pictures right here!

Rotorua

Auckland

Click on the various names to see pictures from the Net:

Other main attractions included in this tour -- which was customized by a NZ tour operator based on my to-see and to-do list -- are Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks , Milford Sound, Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, and the Mount Cook National Park.

Hope that didn't make you giddy! :D It's going to be busy, but I figured hey, we're already there, so let's just make full use of it and see as much as possible!

Additional activities outside the itinerary:

Meeting up with the NZ Clay Aiken fans in Christchurch and Wellington -- they're such lovely ladies, really, and will be picking us up from our hotels to bring us on a stroll through the two cities. I will be passing the Embassy Theatre, where the world premiere of The Return Of The King was held on December 1st. There's a giant dragon perched at the top of the cinema, which is quite a sight!

It's now 6:17am. Time couldn't possibly pass by any slower, aargh! :P