My first brush with Valentine's day was in 2005. Barely a month in a new school, I must confess that I was a little taken aback by the immense effort everyone seemed to be putting into commemorating the event. Nevertheless, I hopped on the bandwagon and did what I could to reciprocate all the pretty gifts. 2006, back in a guys' school, the contrast could not be more stark. The 2 years in IB saw more Valentine's activity, though nothing on the scale of my one year in a school where guys made up just a quarter of the cohort.

This was my first year out and about town on V Day, and it was quite strange seeing teenagers hawking roses along Orchard Road and couples that could not be any older than 16 carrying stuffed toys the size of golden retrievers trooping down the avenue. It did offer me the chance to spot new pairings of those I recognize that I had not known about before. I would bet money that one of those I saw noticed me as well, but pretended not to and didn't acknowledge. Probably because few knew about his new lady friend and was planning to keep a low profile, I did him a favour and promptly let those whom I know will spread the word in on the news.

One sore point about putting my life on hold so long is the lack of American Idol. Other shows I follow I can live without, as I did back during the exam period. AI, however, is different. I shall make the effort to catch up this evening.