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| Party time |
| Sunday, December 17, 2006 |
Continuing on from here.
The buzz on our floor at work a couple of weeks back was about this big party as a celebration of our milestone. Its not even guaranteed success or completion. It is like celebrating the fact that we finished our exams and submitted them. The results are going to be back later, that is exactly, this coming Monday. Whether we did a good job or not we will know then. Heads will roll, definitely hard times are ahead, but lets enjoy the happy time while we can, was the motto.
Everyone was supposed to be in semi-formals, the definition of which was also provided as a starred entry in the invite, knowing,err..., that people like me would also be attending. It was to be held in a nice hotel in downtown SF, a few blocks from where DH worked. So I decided to take the charter bus to the hotel, while DH would just walk in there after work.
Almost everyone left work at 12:30PM. The bus was supposed to start the 2hr drive at 3:30PM. It took me all the time to get ready, let me stop with that. I felt a little awkward going to work all dressed up. As I have said earlier, I have never really dressed up and gone to work anytime. I go in clothes that are uncatchy, so would most others I guess, what would you expect from a geeky work place.
This friend of mine called up and reserved our drink coupons. There was cocktail served before dinner, and each of us was allowed two drinks. As me and DH dont drink, my friends wanted our coupons to get loaded. It was different riding a bus to SF. I was pointing and laughing at all the sucker cars, caught in traffic, while our bus was just sailing smoothly in the car pool lane all the way. It makes me wonder just where do all these folks go. There is traffic on the infamous I-80 just all the time.
We neared the bay bridge, and our bus bypassed the long lines of toll and zoomed by. It felt so nice, one would appreciate it only if one had waited for an hour at the toll to enter SF. Once on the bridge, though, since there was no car pool lane, and totally only three lanes, our bus slowly lost momentum and reduced to zero all the time it had made riding in the car pool lane. If that was worse, the downtown traffic is even more worse. It took 45 mins to cover the last 1 mile off the exit ramp.
Even though we have been to SF more than once, I was never fascinated by the city. It was supposedly a party place, with lot of pubs and bars but still it dint look magical to me, until that night. I saw the new face of SF. The one it wears in the nights on holidays. The city looked enchanting with all the christmas lights and also the regular lighted downtown buildings. The Union Square looked beautiful. I was totally drawn to the charm of the city. I was reminded of a Christmas Eve and DH spent years back in Chicago. It was like being in a movie or a picture, surrealistic. Yes, it was a totally different SF from what I knew. Now I understand the charm in it, after all this time.
It so happened my bus and DH reached the hotel almost at the same time. The formalities just choked me to the brim. We could check in our jackets and sweaters at the cloak room. And then there was a long line waiting for us. Apparently it was for a photo session. There were about 500 plus people invited and the pictures were taken person plus guest. So one can imagine the time it took for the photo session to get over. I was all the time watching people around me, especially women. Men were in usual suits or blazers while women wore a whole variety of clothes. Most had absolutely drowned themselves in make up and perfume, wearing fancy party clothes.
We entered the cock tail room, where people were standing in groups, drinking and chatting. We got our soft drinks and joined our own little crowd. Once again I felt like I was in a movie or a picture. I was immediately conscious of myself and DH. I get very nervous in places like these. Formal places, where certain things are expected of you. Light chichat of nonsense things, fake laughter, fake recognition, blah blah. I have never been to such formal parties ever before. In my old company we used to have these 3 day huge event once a year for which they would force us to wear formal clothes, but I was not really threatened by the event then. Because most employees there were just kids with a couple or more years of experience. It was different here, there were folks with there wives, err... , just like I was there with DH. We were probably the younger crowd in comparison.
We sat at the dinner table, all of our team. Well, once we sat there, all my formality fear went right out the window. These guys were just our friends, joking and drinking, and pulling each others legs. It was the most fun evening. Dinner was as expected, pathetic. They had fancy silverware for crockery and really fancy plates and other tableware, but the food... oh where was the food? My veggie stack, was a a bunch of things, each a couple of inches in diameter, mushroom, squash, and slices of a few other vegetables lightly cooked and served with lettuce. DH asked for more bread and filled his stomach with that, as he didnt like his chicken. DH isnt yet accustomed to the half baked, uncooked chicken just yet.
We spent some time watching a couple of our guys at the table totally drunk from the borrowed drink coupons. There was a reason why they gave only two per person. They could not keep their eyes open, and one started shouting at the table, laughing out loudly. I am always curious whatever does alcohol do that makes one lose their head and do things they wouldnt dream of if they were in their right senses.
Later it was time for some raffle prizes, of which we got nothing. Then all the big shots way up in the ladder chain, like manager's manager's manager's manager and three such levels came and talked a few words, congratulating us but also stressing that more hard work was required from everyone in the near future. Like we didnt know.
It was followed by some programme which we all enjoyed a lot laughing hard. It was about 9:30, the first bus leaving for home. So a bunch of us left, DH went to take his BART home while I boarded the bus. I wanted to get a hug from him before we parted ways, but we wanted to be decent, as it was my work friends around us. I was tired for no reason at all. I drove back home from work with my eyes half closed, tired from the long journey.
Later at night, scenes from the party kept flashing in my head. I was glad I survived a real formal party. Now I have the guts to take on more. |
posted by SK @ 6:52 AM  |
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