moi qui t'aime

no more angst. only wistful sadness.

yester-day/year

watched a beautiful sunset yesterday.

played german bridge yesterday.

thought about you yesterday.

dreamt of you in a nightmare yesterday.

back to yesteryears.

are you smart?

happy chinese new year!

i've eaten nothing but chocolate today.

i watched 'i not stupid 2' today. it's soo touching.

arpeggiation

when something's too overwhelming, too painful, we deny it. we choose to believe something else. it feels better than the truth.

pevensie

i hate the trays at long john silver's. they just keep on spinning.

(re)union

a mismatch.

a journey.

a few twists and turns.

a union.

a happy ending.

scissors

rjc chinese new year celebrations are so haphazard. with no clue of what's going on where. but that wasn't the main happening today. it was shopping!! haha went to orchard with jia en. and jia en's cousin also. we looked high and low, far and wide, for jia en's dress. and we found my docker's shirt.

had lunch at sakae sushi at heeren. heeren is so full of memories. i remember being there with joel before he left.

and i saw such nice shoes at zara at taka. omg there wasn't my size. then we went over to wheelock's zara, where on the way we got cheated of money for pens =S and bloody hell, wheelock's zara had only one pair of that shoe left, and it was stained =(

dejected, sore-ankled. walked past armani. and jia en's cousin pointed to this oh-so-nice shirt. ahhh it was $199. sigh.

on the way back, i saw so many rjc people all in home clothes. so am i the only one who goes shopping in uniform?! and i saw shaggy!

jerks

today's a horrible day. physics was plain difficult. and james doesn't want to teach me physics. and i saw you again. why do i just keep bumping into you? you know we really should have gone up that lift. maybe you really didn't see me, that's why you ignored me (yet again). that must be the reason right?

i failed in not crying over you again. it's funny the way smiles go away when i see you. and while all i see is you, you see all but me. and yet, i really want to see you.

my water bottle bullied me as well. leaked like crazay in my bag that was waterproof. (that means the water stayed inside.)

binged on fatty food with my sister at pastamania.

syo rehearsal was pissing too. i tell you, my rhythm was correct ok? it's so bloody in time lah.

happy ending

tiramisu is over.

taciturn

had more fats later in the day. went habourfront shopping centre and bought the chillo's cookies and cream.

just read from someone else's blog. if you have something to do or say, just do/say it. because you never know what will happen. you might not get another chance to do so.

stay,

i didn't get into jazz. sigh. i really hoped to get in, but didn't expect to get in anyway, what with buble and kaiyang. project: starve myself is off. project: stuff myself has started since today. binged and binged today. had set lunch, potato salad, and three subway cookies. feels so good.

gonna go shopping for new year clothes. and spend spend spend.

today's a sad day. you took me on an entire emotional journey. a roller coaster ride. a mega-big kamikaze crash. left me stranded. made me question my beliefs. but then you made me smile on the way. made me happy.

why is it gone now?

i would love to have time turn back. but even then, i don't know if i would have changed my decisions.

sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.

basket

today is a better hair day. getting better at cantonese. and the long queues at the canteen help in project: starve myself. student development is now about sex. yea say 'no' to premarital sex. learnt new pick-up lines from jia en.

and i can't believe i cried over you again. cried over a non-existent love.

heavy emotional baggage.

luini

i don't want to hide anymore. i don't want to pretend that i've forgotten about you. i'm going to see you tomorrow.

只愛一點的話

would love to fly off again. to america perhaps. haven't been there before.

night mood

My Funny Valentine

my funny valentine

sweet comic valentine

you make me smile with my heart

your looks are laughable

unphotographable

yet you're my favourite work of art

is your figure less than greek

is your mouth a little weak

when you open it to speak

are you smart

but don't change a hair for me

not if you care for me

stay little valentine

stay

each day is valentines' day

autist

was at burger king for breakfast this morning. some thoughts just struck me. to be environmentally friendly, things like chilli sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise etc should be placed with the straws, for consumers to take only what is needed. because in some places, the waiters just dump the sauces, and customers who don't use them simply leave them on the trays, and cleaners simply throw them away. don't you think so?

communion.

jerik won't let me cut his hair =(

acceptance

i killed a lizard yesterday. does anyone know which way a lizard should be killed? because i used my slipper, and i think slippers should have been for cockroaches.

missed the og celebration today. sigh =(

back on a rebound. sometimes when you want something so bad, you would do anything to get it.

am i on a waiting list?

susurration

i can see.

i can hear.

i can't feel.

project: starve myself

omg rjc pe is like boot camp! ah my palms hurt like crazay now. today was quite a short day, but bloody hell i had biology at 4pm. anyway, we had class lunch. project: starve myself is on! and we played some more of 'how many angels fell from the sky?' and 'johnny woosh'.

ha learning cantonese now. yay. ngor gong guong dong wa hou hou! ya mou gao cor ar?!

had the afternoon biology lesson. and you were there again =(

you see, i'm famous in sec4 ri, for something horrible. so thanks to people, like james, who are so well-connected with rgs girls, like stephanie, people all around gossip.

i'm on an emtional rebound?

ergo

first physics tutorial. urgh!!! so much practical =S watched the birds in the canteen. gabrielle thought i was moody. maybe james is mean because he knows the truth about me. binged on so much cream today. cream of mushroom. creamy chicken. coffee crème brûlée. sigh.

syo. rhythm rhythm rhythm.

a rain mist. funny, the way i type 'rain' into my handphone on dictionary mode, and the word that keeps coming out is 'pain'.

fashiony

no assembly today! first chemistry tutorial. played 'two truths and a lie'. mr gwee thinks that i would have joined some idol show. ?! james is still mean. and then geography tutorial with eric lee. so exciting! he's so funny! apparently my second-most favourite colour is (shocking) pink. got released early for lunch today after geography lecture. yay played so much of daidi. but i didn't win at all =( all joohui's fault. hmph.

waited till 3pm for chamber rehearsal.

the acs guy (don't know his name still) said 'hi' today.

mortify

i thought everything would be ok this year. i thought everything would start anew. but james is proving me so wrong. james and stephanie and the acs guy. as far as i know i've tried. but i don't understand why they are so mean.

maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them.

princess fiona

shocked by the voice that came out of me when i used the mike.

dufus

today was another plain old bad hair day. geography tutorial was so fun. palaeomagnetic evidence supporting the continental drift. james is really mean =( physics lecture. he was behind me again. urgh chemistry lecture again. i tell you, if this keeps up i'm going to drop chemistry. pe lesson is weird. plain weird.

ah jazz auditions. so tense. my voice was shaky i think. can't really remember anything. don't know if anyone was squirming at my singing, because my eyes were closed all the time. sang 'dream a little dream of me' as cutely as i could >.< because it's a cute song! kaiyang's singing is just so mesmerising.

rained in the afternoon. waited for the rain to stop. waited alone. there isn't even someone to go home with.

i've already tried my best. i've already given my all. to you.

quadratic

first day of proper lessons. started with maths. i like maths! and then it was geography. video on nike. oh dear we're back on tncs. then back to a really sleepy maths lecture. student development followed. and then general paper. and bloody hell there was a diagnostic essay. and then a one hour break and finally biology. i can already visualise the masking tape over your mouth.

today has been a day of discovery. you see, i learnt that one of my classmates has something for 'marist stella dudes'. the fact that rebonding exists means that there's some hope in this world. you could be the next fleming or einstein. yea, i already had the bad hair day to start off with.

today has also been a day of meanie classmates. there was the acs guy and james. it's not that they weren't being nice. it's that they were being mean.

today has been a sad day. because once again i saw you. in the same class at that. biology class. even though the teacher was really funny, i couldn't help but keep turning around to look at you, and feeling horrible all over again. and then when the teacher took the photo of you and gerard, that closeness between the two of you hurt me.

crying on an empty train really sucks.

souffle

sometimes dreams ain't make no sense. but i had a really scary nightmare.

got onto a bus which my friend was driving. he was a lousy driver who knocked down a lot of people. finally stopped somewhere where there were people lying on the floor. climbed up a building nearby. on the way up, we saw this eerie-looking statue. we looked at the bodies lying on the ground from the top of the building. suddenly i realised that it was my friend's bus that killed them. what horror. and he even thought of asking people around us for money to support the dead people's family. but in actual fact, he wanted the money for himself. so horrified. i ran down the building and bumped into the eerie statue. and it started moving, lunging forwards at me. cried and cried.

if there's anything i can say to describe you, it would be 'cretinously cute'.

hungry

today was really hot. maybe the wet season is over. and just so lucky of me to get onto an air-conditioned bus which had no conditioned air >.< today's syo rehearsal was conducted by guest conductor teresa cheung. she's funny and nice.

i have a runny nose. and my spine hurts. my knee and hip joints hurt too. i think it's influenza.

kit

i could see the moon from my window last night, although it's angle was very high and i had to almost lie on the floor. it cast a strip of white light on my floor, illuminating the room. so beautiful.

weather's getting drier now. i guess that's nice. perhaps there'll be less gloom.

get in touch with your feminine side.

chanson

maybe i was trying to move too fast.

a blu-tack flower for you. just for you.

les feuilles mortes

06Q lunch. we played games like electric current. and we played black magic, 'how many angels fell from the sky?', items game, 'how many mah mah jumped over the wall?' game. went library after that to read harry potter and do chemistry tutorial. then i went back to canteen. sat alone. lots of chatter and laughter around me. i really want to talk to you so badly. why are you always so near yet so far away? brian didn't sit with me. he said he was going home. but then he went over to sit with kenny and stuart. of course, why didn't i think of that? naturally he would have done that. i so want to fit in.

jazz.

Me too:)

sudoku

omg today's chemistry lecture was a disaster. the lecturer went so fast. and stoichiometry is like so long ago i can't remember anything about it. first physics lecture. and then lots of free time, because the blasted rain came again. did maths tutorial and tried to do the sudoku puzzle of the day. so bloody difficult that i gave up. terence had many card tricks up his sleeves. hmm. and i looked at you a lot again today.

toon

it rained again. today was cca fest. jazz looked interesting. and the interact club's form was by far the most difficult form to fill in.

why does it keep raining?

(botched) attempt down the aisle

a white dream

unfettered

unflawed

pure

simple

painless

unpretentious

perfect.

so near yet so far

it isn't working. i'm still hopelessly drawn to you. i could be doing maths tutorial with paul and hadi and mark, having a lonely lunch, sitting with a friend, sitting at the chamber ensemble booth, but i'll still keep looking at you if you are around. and it fucking hurts because nothing has changed at all.

do you know how hard it is to hold back my tears when i'm eating alone and looking at you from far, far away?

i'm in hopeless pain and helpless despair.

damage control

bad. really bad. first, i couldn't skate. and then, narpal and daniel kept trying to push me and make me fall. then, i took a mega-big fall and cut daniel's leg. =( didn't really want that to happen. and it was so depressing. i couldn't skate, and i ended up cutting someone's leg. and then i heard parker saying some mean things. so i stopped. walked out of the rink and stood by the side to watch. it doeesn't really get better when i see preetha or alex or timon or anyone skate so freely on the ice. and then they started skating in lines, holding hands or shoulders. i probably would never know how it feels like to skate like that. but at least they were happy, and not cutting anyone's leg.

so there was a keep-trying!ivan, and a don't-cut-anyone's-leg-anymore!ivan. and the don't-cut-anyone's-leg-anymore!ivan won. so i just stood by the side and watched. and watched. quite depressing to hide my sadness, though.

we went to preetha's house later. and felt a bit better. played murderer. and watched hot chick. hot chick was nice. so romantic and like so sweet. but some people don't like to agree. left late and reached home late. tomorrow's school again.

selamat hari raya

gonzales

oh no tomorrow's ice skating!

i've just won my 1001th freecell game.

and just so you know, sorry isn't good enough.

lectures

first time in the rjc library. omg it's so bloody big, but i think the book selection is quite small. i couldn't even find 'memoirs of a geisha'. sat with esther. yes i can remember the full name ok? esther monica fan peijin. yes! and despite what others may say, i still think i need to lose weight. geography lecture! omg so fun!! it's back to plate tectonics! and then it was maths lecture. ms chen is quite witty. anyway, had this bloody long three-hour break. ended up in the canteen with paul's og, trying to figure out fuzzy wuzzy. omg it's so lame!! insults my intelligence like crazay. and then played this slapping game with paul. and omg my hand was so red. it was damn painful ok? and they just had to pop quiz us for chemistry!

went funan to buy norton antivirus. bleah. and had anderson's milk shake. it tasted so funny. maybe it was the banana crunch that i added.

esurient

the rain's being going on all day. went to esplanade to return books. chanced upon 6 cds of shostakovich's string quartets. yay! saw alan, and he was mugging. YES mugging~ and the rain still hadn't stopped. alan said it started at 2am, because he was awoken at that time by raindrops >.< had a lonely dinner. didn't manage to go funan because of the bloody rain.

commonwealth

Slow Down, We're Going Too Fast

The Girl

She was awoken by her alarm clock at six in the morning. She brushed her teeth, took her shower, had her breakfast, packed her bag, and was out of the house by six-thirty. She got into her daddy's car, and was off.

The sun was rising, rays of light poured onto her little part of the world. Birds chirped merrily. It was winter, but she could feel the warmth of the sun creeping in. She looked out of the window. A cool breeze greeted her. She looked at the cat sleeping by the park bench as they drove by.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in her face like a gale. Slow down. Daddy answered her, "That car in front is crawling, I have to overtake him." He drove even faster. She noticed that the car they overtook started to follow them closely, until the red light, which Daddy drove past. The car behind stopped.

Daddy zoomed quickly through the streets. She looked at the lake nearby. To her amazement, she saw two swans in the lake. They looked so peaceful, as though they had all the time in the world to enjoy a morning sunbath. They did not seem to be afraid of the cold. In a split second, they were past the lake and a building had blocked her view.

Irritated by the gale that kept blowing in her face, she shut the window. Building after building whizzed past her.

Finally, she reached her school. The construction workers had already begun work at their site next to the school. There was a continuous banging and drilling.

"Bye, Mia."

"Bye, Daddy."

It was twenty minutes before classes started. He could have driven slower. A construction worker knocked into her while running to his workplace. He did not even stop to apologize. How rude.

~*~

English class was boring her guts out. She kept thinking about the two swans in the lake. She imagined herself sitting with her special one on the bench by the lake, watching the sun rise. At the end of the lesson, the teacher gave everyone a short, or so he said, assignment to do. It was a thousand-word essay, and they had to hand it up in two days.

Geography class was more interesting. Everyone learnt about the famous A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy through watching a video. The video showed molds of humans and animals in the city of Pompeii just before the ash from Vesuvius buried them. They all looked like they were struggling to escape death, Man's eternal enemy. She thought of the swans and the peace and calm that was wrapped in Mother Nature's arms.

It was break time. She walked to the hallway. Sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating the long passageway. She looked out of the window. It was nine. The streets were filled with people rushing to work.

She looked at the ice skating rink just around the corner of the street.

***

The Teacher

He woke up at five-thirty in the morning. He brushed his teeth, got changed, had breakfast, and left his house by six.

After a ten-minute drive, he realised that he had left an important document at home. It was a proposal he had to show the principal. Frustrated, he drove back home. He retrieved the document, and was on his way to school again.

Feeling so tired after driving back and forth, he decided to slow down and enjoy the scenery. There was a cat sleeping by the park bench. Suddenly, a car zoomed in front of him. What a rude driver.

He picked up his speed to catch up with the car in front of him, wanting to stop the driver and tell him how rude and dangerous it was to overtake without signalling.

He lost the car at the traffic light.

~*~

He gave his class an assignment to do. "It's really a short assignment. Write me a thouand-word essay explaining the arguments in Semiotics. I want the essays back in two days."

He looked at all the sulking faces giving him death glares, put on a weak smile, and left the classroom. He went to his office and began marking the scripts that he left in school overnight. He had intended to mark them early in the morning, but since he left his proposal at home, he lost the time to do so.

The tiny words written on the papers were tiring his eyes. Soon, they became like ants swarming the paper as if it was honey. He decided to take a break from the words that went on and on without any indication full-stops. He walked out of his office, into the hallway.

It was break time, and there were students running everywhere. He walked slowly and carefully to one of the windows along the hallway and looked out. The sun was shining brightly. He turned to look at the skating rink at the corner of the street.

***

The Construction Worker

He woke up, to his shock, at six. He brushed his teeth, changed, took a bite of his bread, and was out of his house by quarter-past-six. He ran and ran. There was still a long way to go. I'm going to be so late!

He ran until he reached a park. It was six-forty. Exhasution overtook him. Panting heavily, he sat down on the park bench and rested. When he got up again, his foot hit the cat that was sleeping beside the bench.

It meowed angrily.

~*~

He ran and ran. The construction site crept into view. The banging and drilling had already started. He was already late. He ran even faster, not seeing the schoolgirl in front of him, and knocked into her. Without even turning back to apologize, he continued running.

His supervisor was already there waiting for him. After five long minutes of listening to his supervisor berating and threatening to fire him, he was sent to work.

Banging and drilling, banging and drilling. The air was cold, but he was perspiring, showering the ground below him with sweat. He was worn-out from the running. Standing on the scaffolding and catching a moment's breath, he looked at the city around him.

The streets were busy with people and cars. From where he stood, all of them looked like ants scurrying. Beautful clouds stretched across the morning sky. He looked at the lake far, far away. There was a tiny speck in the lake that looked like a pair of swans.

He looked at the skating rink just across the street.

***

The Skaters

The couple got up at seven. They had their breakfast while watching 'Prime News'. Baths taken, skating gear brought, they took a stroll down the streets.

They walked past a park. A cat meowed at them. They sat down on the park bench and watched other couples passing by. Some brought their dogs out for a walk. Others were simply walking around leisurely. The couple just sat and enjoyed the morning air. Soon the other couples dispersed. Office workers began to pour onto the streets. They just sat on the park bench. Everyone around them was bustling around.

They continued their walk, and passed by a big lake, stopping to look at a pair of swans. The swans had a sense of peace and calm about them, and moved with such grace that mesmerized the couple. For a moment, everything was quiet and still.

The couple walked on. They reached the skating rink. There was a loud banging and drilling coming from the construction site. Despite the noise, the couple started skating gracefully.

They drew beautiful patterns on the ice with their blades, their movements like the swans'. They skated freely as they glided across the ice, letting the wind take them into the air.

***

The girl sighed. The teacher sighed. The construction worker sighed too.

The skaters danced.

***

It was evening. The sky turned to a warm violet.

Daddy was driving her home. If we drive so fast, we're going to miss out on the scenery. Daddy answered her, "We have to get home before the jam."

Slow down, we're going too fast.

The End

random shot

i'm gonna chilli padi you one day.

fotia

the clock struck at midnight, and cinderella had to go.

(photo by yeo boonping)

novel

slept in this morning. just woke up fresh and still a bit sleepy. the past week was just too much to take at one shot. but then again, it's over. "what's done is done, there will be no need to speak to edmund about what has already passed."

chinese new year is coming soon. and that means... SHOPPING TIME! yay new clothes =/

"he's making a big mistake," [pause] "and when he realises how stupid he's been, it'll be too late. he's throwing away something that comes once in a lifetime."

"and what's that?"

"everything he could ever ask for, to have someone like you."

so a new chapter unfolds?

z'ruz

today was better. mother-big war games! first there was a colouring game. and there was caterpillar game. and muddy muddy game, in which benny khoo violated me =( that bitch. sobs. civvies. a run in the rain. lunch at s11. whoa and we watched narnia (again, for some of us). peter is still cute, but timon doesn't agree. and narnia is so touching. rushed back for o nite. the hair spray was a complete cheating-our-money thing. wore chillies around our necks. bensen's red hot chilli peppers. there were performances and dances. and i tried to dance too. there were beautiful candlelights, and nice gifts.

the rain that never really stopped.

07S06Q, B48

learnt the new batch song today. and got my new class. james is in the same class as me. but i think he's really upset about it. treasure hunt game took us from bishan to toa payoh to ang mo kio to toa payoh. and we were tied up in pairs. omg so embarrassing to even go onto a bus. and that was most of the day gone. my heart just suddenly hurt when i was watching the skit in the hall. don't know why, maybe it's because i didn't see you again today. sat and watched while everyone around me danced. i'm never gonna get the dance moves correct.

on the verge of tears. a heartache for no apparent reason.

i couldn't really take it. so tired, physically, emotionally, mentally. so i told keith that i wasn't going for dinner. but i actually went to cry. curse myself for being so weak yet again. perhaps someone like me can never really fit in anywhere, but at least i've tried.

walked past mcdonald's alone. heard that laughter from a group of students. a sudden hollow feeling. i would have loved to join in the orientation group dinner, and the dances at esplanade after that. but maybe it's the fear of rejection. like one odd person in a sea of other people. so completely lost, and everyone else is simply watching and laughing at you.

the moon smiled at me while i was on my way home. but soon after, a gloomy sky loomed. and there was a storm. a binge on ice cream. nothing much to do, so i completed the contact list for the orientation group as keith asked. hope they're having fun at esplanade. not that i mind. in fact, i'm think i'm used to self-exclusion. quite used to being odd.

i can't fit in, because i'm odd.

rjc two

this year's probably off to a good start.

a human table soccer game. a walk-with-the-spaghetti game. a newspaper game. a spaghetti-and-rubber-band game. a rugby-like game. bad psychomotor. seeing esther. aiyun too i think. a lonely lunch. difficult dance moves. a costume suggestion for o nite. 'mismatch'. hey timon thought it was nice. an umbrella in the rain. shopping! for hair dyes. orientation group dinner. mcdonald's. getting fat! an 'i've never...' game. timon's 'i've never liked someone of the same sex.' pass-the-actions game. king game. a fake kiss. oops sorry shenglin and priscylia. a train ride back with timon.

a thumb that refuses to stop bleeding. haemophilia?

even though i didn't feel anything when i saw you yesterday, surprisingly i felt a little sad that i didn't see you today.

acid

and it was a yellow rain that fell. a sudden downpour, albeit the absence of thunder and lightning. and yet the sky was a sickening sort of yellow. like sulphur, venom. the caustic yellow lingering like toxic air.

so sleepy now, but i'm going to force myself not to sleep, until 9pm. and then i'll hit the bed and sleep till 5.30am again. and then my sleeping pattern should start to take shape.

rjc one

last night was a nightmare. i couldn't fall asleep. blame it on the non-existent sleeping pattern. or maybe it did exist, but was completely opposite from what is desired. the last time i saw my clock, it was 2am. woke up at 5.30am. yea! slept so much >.<

let's see,

unknown people in an orientation group. funny skits. an orientation group leader who was an identical twin. almost going up to the wrong group leader. skipping lunch. a blue m & m's. being made a j1 orientation group leader. funny cheer. more funny skits. a paper ball game. a drawing game. a balloon game. a straw game. a shaving cream game. cleaning up the shaving cream urgh. an animal game. and even more funny skits.

truthfully, i was scared when i saw shenglin, christopher and steward in the same group. well, it was some connection i made with zhaoying. but surprisingly, they weren't mean. even if they didn't talk to me, they were nice enough.

and surprisingly, i didn't feel anything when i saw you. that's good, isn't it?

what rhymes with x'fotia? malaysia?

"and when you've never done, or felt, something before, it scares you."

so mote it be

believe in magic?

by light of moon waxing
i brew this tea
to make [lover's name] desire me
goddess of love
hear now my plea
let [lover's name] desire me
so mote it be
so mote it be

gonna perfect my death glare from now on. maybe one day my eyes might turn grey, and that's when i'll be able to glare something to death. yea.

last day

this is so scary, i can't believe i actually grew to meet this day. tomorrow's the start of the junior college journey. and i'm so unnerved. do hope that everything will be fine.

intoxicate

someone holds me safe and warm
horses prance through a silver storm
figures dancing gracefully
across my memory

once upon a december

i guess the general feeling of the day is: i don't wanna go school.

800 X 600

new year resolutions. as is customary.

suddenly remembered this year when we did goal setting for cle lesson. smart goal setting. must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a time-frame. yea can still remember.

don't really know what i want to do this year. perhaps i must focus on my studies. don't think about you. practise violin and viola very hard. use less internet. lose weight/waistline. cry less. make friends. be really happy.

i'll tell you what i saw

many people

walter, cunzhi, kuanfu, gary, nabilah

cars illegally parked by the road in front of the court

people sitting on the railings of the supreme court

beautiful fireworks

couples kissing

a perfect year ahead

last night has been the most wonderful one. it may have been just another night to you, but i'll be living my next thirty years in memory of last night. the fireworks at esplanade were simply too beautiful. if only i was even closer, right at the waterfront. but there were so many many people flooding the place.