LOST IN THE SEA OF DORAEMONS

3rd January 2015 ~ I was there because I had a free ticket given to me by friends. Luckily I could find someone who was willing to tag along to see Doraemon and his secret gadgets.We were there on the second last day of the exhibition. There were many people as kids under 12 were given free admission for the school holiday. People bought the tickets actually just to get themselves photographed with one of the world's famous cats but this time, there were just too many Doraemons around. I did not even care to read about the secret gadgets which were now no longer a secret. I missed visiting Doraemon Museum in Tokyo when I was there in June so I guess this should compensate in a way.

It was a 1 1/2 fun-filled session in the expo, a chance to unleash the child in me. And I was glad that I I was the only one doing that.  

SUNDAY WAS SPELL-IT-RIGHT DAY

Last Sunday, I met four students of my school who were participating in the NST's Spell-It-Right Competition. We were there as early as 8:30 a.m. but the real thing started only at about 10:00. Actually, the students took their own initiative to find and complete the registration forms on their own. So what I did was to fax the letter to the organizer and accompany them througout the competition.

waiting for the registration

There were about 32 schools taking part which comprised of 128 students from the state of Johor. Spell-It-Right was actually a spelling bee competition and it was held annually. The winner of this level would represent the state at the national stage later in August.

lunch time

As our school was put in Group 7, our turn would be only after lunch. After observing the other contestants were being tested on stage, we happily gulped down the sponsored McDonald's meal.

the crossword and the food coupons I got as rewards

At the same time, we were lucky because we were seated next to the McDonald's booth which gave away handouts which contained short quiz, crossword puzzle and word maze. So the boys (and I) completed quite a few while waiting and watching the competition and we were rewarded with free McD's food coupons. We did use our time wisely.

waiting in agony?

they looked too happy to be on stage

Finally the boys were called up on stage. Unfortunately, the whole ended as early as it started. Only one of them managed to go to the second round of the competition but it was worth trying. Mind you, some of the words given to the students were quite difficult and honestly I myself would not be able to spell them correctly.

not winning but still making it on the front page of the newsaper

So the whle thing ended at about 5:00 p.m. The waiting was longer than the main thing but there were just too many schools taking part.

receiving the goodie bags and cetificates

It was really a long day indeed, the longest period of time I had ever spent in City Square. We felt tired but happy, especially the students with their certificates, goodie bags, McD food coupons, the experience and the opportunity to see other (beautiful) students from other schools.