People from around the globe bade farewell to 1999 and welcomed the new millennium at the stroke of midnight yesterday. The parties were a sea of confetti, streamers and sparklers be it in Singapore, Britain or the island of Fiji.

In Singapore, the light rain that fell for most of the night did little to dampen the festive spirit of the 60,000 partygoers at Sentosa. Both local and international performers had the crowd going for the entire night. So said Hong Kong diva Sandy Lam, "This is my first time singing in a New Year countdown party and I must say that the atmosphere here is wonderful. The audience was enjoying themselves and I could see it on their faces." Celebrations were also underway in other parts of Singapore. Restaurants, pubs, homes and even void decks and community centres were filled with merrymakers well before midnight. At Bukit Timah, the party started at 7.00 p.m., with about 150 residents turning up for the games and folk dancing. One of them, Madam Helen Wong, 42, said, "I love coming to these parties because you can really feel that the New Year is coming."

At Greenwich, Britain, millions flocked to the Millennium Dome, a 20-acre futuristic exhibition hall built for this special occasion. They were treated to performances by top-notch singers like the Spice Girls and Barbara Streisand. At the turn of the millennium, fireworks and pyrotechnics lit the starry night sky, creating a spectacular visual experience.

The little island of Fiji was quiet no more as islanders and many tourists enjoyed the first moment on Earth for the next thousand years. Fiji is one of only two places on Earth along the 180th meridian, the other being in Siberia. And what better way to mark this then to invite tourists all over the world to witness this event.

Said Mr. Kensuke Fujimoto, one of the many tourists at Fiji, "I am glad to be among the first few people to see the dawn of the new millennium. In the midst of the celebrations, I hope this new beginning would bring about peace and harmony in the world, and that everyone can live happily." This probably sums up all our wishes for the new millennium.