Ok, so the organisation I worked for is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year. We've come a long way. Geez, even yours truly have come a long way. When I joined the institution as a student 20 years ago, in awe at the very thought of going to school smack dab in the middle of town, little would I know that I'd end up where I am now. Maybe it's the fact that I just refused to let go. Holding on to that piece of memory that is '925'. But that's another dimension. A path I refused to dwell on as we both have moved on in life and I doubt if he still remembers my name anyway.
And so I joined the institution after I graduated, working quietly at the corner until I became the jaded civil ass that I am now. I used to go to the annual D&Ds. My first D&D back in Nov 94 was fun. The theme was tropical something. I wore the dress my mum made me for work. It's a Jackie O cut midi with huge prints of fruits on them. Nope I don't wear power suits to work. My classmate (I was taking part-time night classes at that time) lend me a huge straw hat and I stuck a huge fake sunflower on it. While some of my colleagues chose the very safe 'black dress' to attend the function, I ended up looking like a fruitcake. Needless to say, my gamble paid off because I got the second prize for best dressed. Hurrah. Anyway, I was one out of the 5 people who followed the theme. Me being obedient because I don't really have money to buy a kickass black dress back then.
The second D&D was interesting. The theme screams "International". This time, I had gained somewhat of a reputation since last year's fruitcake sure-win dress, and everyone expected me to dutifully follow the theme. I opted for a safe black dress instead because I just wanted to eat my sweet & sour prawn, maybe get a lucky draw and go home.
By the third D&D, I get the drift. The same crowd of men at the front table will get drunk before 9pm and made complete asses of themselves by the third course, the MCs get less funnier as budget decreases, the Malays usually get the lousy tables (either behind a pillar or at the far corners - we can't even see the stage) and the sight of old men dancing to Ace of Base "All That She Wants" just makes you want to give up that last spoon of fried rice they usually serve as the last course. And I never get lucky in lucky draws. Really. The big prices go out to rich officers who can afford a gazillion flat screen TVs. Why on earth do they get to WIN another one! Why??
As for our table arrangements, I was told that they are such so that it's easier for the waiters to serve us halal food because there was only a handful of us. I've never really minded these arrangements but it totally pisses me off when, one time, I disappeared for a while to visit the toilet (it was cold!) and when I came back, my prawns were whisked away by the ever efficient waiter. WTF! I came here for the prawns man...I was gone for like what? 5 minutes?
And that was it. I didn't attend any D&D after that.
Then I met the hubby and it's always been his company's D&D from then on. It's free and I don't have to make small talk. I just make my appearance as 'the wife', enjoy my fake shark fin soup, pretend to understand his drunk -assed colleagues jokes and go home.
Now, let's come back to this year. 2012. The reason for this whole blog page. The organisation that I worked for have seen so many changes including having a bi-annual D&D instead of having it done annually. Not that I've attended any ever since that prawn incident back in 1996.
This year, they're calling it "Oscar's Night" and will be staged at the very grand Resorts World at Sentosa. The minute we get the memo (ok, email), I was going hmm, black tie, sexy evening gowns, glamorous hair-dos, red carpets, the works - very, very interesting. For a fee, we can have our make up and hair done. Wow! All you need is a Vera Wang dress or maybe that Bvlgari vintage necklace worn by Keira Knightly at the real Oscars.
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Then somewhere along the way, someone got very confused. Beside the tabs for "hair styling" and "makeover" there is "costume rental'. Ok. Maybe it's an honest typo. Surely they mean "evening gown rental" right? We don't refer to gowns as costumes, do we? Apparently, I didn't read the memo correctly. We are to come dressed to the nines and as a movie character.
What(?!). If they're thinking Marilyn Monroe (in that famous white dress - yes the one with the air vent billow thing), then, at least it's ok. It is still a dress. But what if I want to come as Wonder Woman? Am I supposed to arrive in that star spangled bustier and sit in the cold hall eating my sweet and sour prawns and hoping I'd win best dressed? What if someone did come as the Incredible Hulk? He'll catch a freakin' cold for gods sakes. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him because unknown green substance may be difficult to scrub off if you're wearing that Marilyn Monroe dress. And don't get me started on his yellow teeth - uber gross.
I mean, have the organisers seen the oscars? No one wears costumes to the oscars, unless you're the entertainment. I have a feeling that they'll be handing out those mini statues of oscar (from the souvenir shop at New York's area inside the Universal Studios) for "best drunk-before-the-third-course" or "best butt kisser".
Whatever lah. I'm not attending. It's heavily subsidised at $25 a piece. But hubby need to pay $100. Then where am I supposed to put the kids? Under the table? $100 on hubby's ticket can give him more than enough to eat at Royal Scott's Carousel buffet.
And not that I can get a guaranteed promotion if I attended this event anyway.
