Top 16! Holy Cow!

It's been a few days and I can still hardly believe it! Out of 34,684 applicants, I've made it to the final 16! Getting that call on Friday morning was just about as sweet as it gets, ladies and gentlemen. Of course, I called my mom and then the rest of my family. Much to my chagrin, one of my sisters hung up on me twice! Her excuse, "I thought you were a telemarketer."

The day proceeded with a title wave of interest. We had a school assembly (which was already planned for other purposes) where over 900 middle-schoolers cheered for me. Then came interviews with TV, radio, and newspapers. I even did phone interview while supervising students playing water polo! Lastly, I had to follow through on a promise...

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to say, "If I make the top 11 I'll shave my head, paint the Singapore flag on it and run down Orchard Road in my fins, snorkel & mask." The things I get myself into. Well they called me out on it and a years worth of hair was shaved down to stubble. But I felt compelled to leave a wicked Mohawk.

With Mohawk in place I proceeded to have two Singapore flags painted on my head whilst sitting along the Orchard Road Sidewalk. Needless to say I had more than a few gawkers. After one last interview I took off for my run down Orchard Road with entourage in tow. What a day!

Thank you to everyone who voted for me, promoted me, and helped make this possible. Grant, you're the man; this wouldn't have happened without your movie magic. And most of all, my thanks to Jesus for this tremendous blessing!