Today, I was invited to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 99-day countdown celebration. The event started at 7 pm this evening, attracting thousands of visitors. A queue for security clearance to enter the celebration ground did not deter visitors to the once-in-a-lifetime event.

There were performances by celebrities such as Hady Mirza and Electrico, as well as dance performances by groups of students. At 7.56 pm, the Runway Singapore 2010 presented, for the very first time, the official apparel for staff, volunteers and participants of the Youth Olympic Games.

At 2010 hours today, the VIPs crossed out the giant numeral 99, signifying the number of days left to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.  This is followed by three minutes of fireworks.

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A 99-Day commemorative collar pin was given to invited guests. Limited edition wristbands of different colours were issued to the various groups of guests.

At the end of the event, guests were invited into the Warehouse for reception. Being the sponsors for the Youth Olympic Games, Mcdonald’s and Old Chang Kee served food to the guests while they interacted with one another.

With a total of 204000 visitors on the opening day, the Shanghai World Expo Park was flooded by huge crowds. Visitors to the park have started queuing up early in the morning for safety checks before entering. Visiting the Shanghai World Expo Park was similar to a tour around the globe. The 2010 Shanghai World Expo has high expectations to meet, after the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The latest addition to my Olympic collection is a first day cover from Macau. Dated 14 July 2001, this cover is released to commemorate the success of China’s bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. The results were announced by the International Olympic Committee on 13 July 2001. The 1 ptc stamp features the logo of the bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics by Beijing.