under the blanket

For 24 hours from noon tomorrow, I will be cooped up in a cable car in the name of science and journalism. I will be accompanied by an equally-insane colleague who, like me, volunteered to go through the experience and write about it, ahead of the actual seven-day competition to be held in the middle of the month. Luckily we don't suffer from vertigo, motion sickness, claustrophobia or incontinence.

We are not allowed to leave the cable car except for a 10-minute loo break every 24 hours. We've already done a trial toilet run, and we need more than two minutes each time. We can shave off a few seconds if we neglect to wash our hands.

Food and water will be provided, as well as one pillow and one blanket to be shared between the two of us. Only the clothes we have on our backs are allowed, so we intend to wear on our body as possible, such as a pair of shorts under a denim skirt. It's gonna be scorching hot and stifling in the day, and probably breezy at night.

Only one luxury item is allowed per couple. Our ed suggested a Gucci handbag. We toyed briefly with the idea of a large bottle of Absolut, before we read the fine print on the Rules and Regulations. Radios, handphones, laptops and other such electronic items are not permitted. Food and drinks, too, are out. No extra pillows or blankets can be brought aboard, so basically, we're left with few options. We probably will end up being real boring and bringing a thick magazine or book, unless someone can come up with something better.