This must have been fate.

About a month ago, I just happened to log into Plurk on a whim after a long absence.

Plurk is sort of a MSN-Twitter hybrid where people gather to waste time together, among other things.

I was addicted to it for a couple of weeks when it first launched, but I stopped going regularly when I started getting busy, only logging in maybe once every few weeks or so.

So, on that day, I logged in after an absence of at least a month, I think. I saw a plurk from Cowboy Caleb, who is a very famous anonymous Singapore blogger and the founder of the infamous Cowboybar.

(Only in the blogosphere can the word famous and anonymous co-exist without being oxymoronic.)

Anyway, Cowboy’s plurk stated that he was looking for someone to be him, to take part in the BRAND’S Blogger Challenge (since he’s anonymous, plus he’s not free on the day).

Competitors, he said, would be given 14 days’ worth of BRAND’S Essence of Chicken to drink in preparation of the mental battle between Singaporean and Malaysian bloggers.

In Plurkland, you’re strongly encouraged to type useless and redundant replies to your friends’ plurks, so I said, “I LOVE BRAND’S ESSENCE OF CHICKEN!”

He replied something to the effect of, “How about I transfer my invite to you, instead?”

Stunned, I said, “Har? Cannot lah… I’m not brainy enough.”

In the end, though, he did get the organisers to invite me and I decided I couldn’t turn fun down. Besides, I DO love BRAND’S Essence of Chicken. So I accepted the challenge, OMG.

I received my 14-day supply of yummy BEC, together with a brain training kit consisting of nine flash cards containing various brain teasers.

Photo by Wilfrid Wong

So began the challenge.

It was an exciting and nerve-wracking two weeks.

I started playing Brain Age 2, which I haven’t touched in yonks, in a last-ditch attempt to prevent my flailing brain from embarrassing me too much on the day of the challenge.

But I did enjoy my daily BEC. (I hardly ever drink it usually because it’s quite expensive and an unaffordable indulgence for me, kind of in the league of royal jelly and birds’ nest.)

Ten bloggers from Singapore and Malaysia received the package. I didn’t know who my team mates and opponents were until a few days before the competition.

The day finally arrived. Our Malaysian opponents were flown into Singapore the night before and put up at the Grand Corpthorne Waterfront.

I slept only three hours because, of all the times for it to happen, I got a very bad case of indigestion the night before the challenge.

I couldn’t sleep for the longest time. (As in, I couldn’t even lie down because it made me feel like throwing up.)

I drank a cup of Eno and started playing a relaxing game on the DS, sitting propped against my pillow, hoping either the Eno would work or the game would lull me to sleep.

I think I finally went to sleep almost 4 am.

It’s quite fortunate that BEC actually works. I downed a bottle before leaving home for the challenge in the morning and it actually kept me sane through the day.

The Singapore team met for breakfast, hosted by our organiser, so we could get to know one another before the challenge.

Our team consisted of (from left) Aaron Ng, me, Eastcoastlife, Mr Endoh and Wilfrid Wong.

Photo courtesy of Wilfred Wong.

We were all given red t-shirts to wear! lol. Our Malaysian counterparts had dark blue t-shirts. We met them at Geek Terminal, where the challenge was to be held.

Introducing, from left, KY, Red Mummy, KK (representing Babe in the City) and Sultan Muzaffar.

Photo courtesy of Wilfred Wong.

At first, I had gone to the event with a “let’s have fun” mentality. But when faced with the solemn setting at Geek Terminal, butterflies started a mutiny in my tummy.

It didn’t help that members of the press had been invited and they all but filled Geek Terminal to the brim.

It also didn’t help that there were Singapore and Malaysian flags placed at each table.

It definitely didn’t help that the opening speech of the event described each side as representing our respective countries in terms of mental agility.

OMG.

To be continued…

(Sorry to cut short here. *lol* I need to rush out for an assignment. But you know that Singapore won because of my title and because the news is already around the blogosphere, anyway. Haha. Will talk about the event in more detail next time!)