Been busy with work and the preparation of the Annual Dinner these past weeks, hence the lack of blog update.
The Annual Dinner happened yesterday in Traders Hotel, it involved four departments in my company. Some colleagues turned up dressed in style fitting the night, some though dressed like how they do when they go to the office everyday.
Hmm... Glitz & Glamour Nite, so the most appropriate attire must be jeans and t-shirt!
*Ehem*
Thank goodness the majority of the guests were dressed up smartly, that's especially true for the ladies, which I am real glad of. They came in pretty gowns and beautiful garments, put on make-ups, set their hair, looking fantastic and breath taking.
Me happy. =)
Anyway, let's go back a few weeks...
My supervisor made me a member of the Annual Dinner organising committee despite me saying no whenever he brought up the subject Since I am ever so keen to help make my company a great place to work I volunteered to be a committee member for the Annual Dinner without hesitation.
The committee was made up of logistics, communication and programme groups. Logistics group deals with logistics. Communication group deals with communication.
=P
Programme group deals with event flow, entertainment, games, lucky draw, prizes, and anything else the other groups dumped onto. Since I didn't know better once I am committed to something I want to do the best I can so I signed myself up for programme group, as I perceived it as the group with the most workload and greatest impact on the event day.
Sure had fun preparing for the Annual Dinner in the programme group, at times it felt like we were doing not only programme related things but also logistics and communication stuff as well. Probably because we are too nice the rest kept bullying us just some unavoidable cross-over.
The last few days leading to the event was hectic for programme group, felt like we were in task force mode. Task force for Annual Dinner?!?!
During the dinner we were still working, dealing with sudden changes and running around for entertainment and game related stuff. All that was fine and expected, just part of the job afterall. Could have used some time off to catch up with nicely dressed colleagues, take some photos with them or just go over to them and have a laugh but alas, I was kept pretty busy the whole night.
Photo guessing game went well but it marked the beginning of me being picked on by the emcee, not just once, but for the whole night! I was termed the "hum sup lou" and made fun of my baldness. =(
Very soon I cringed everytime I heard the emcee said "CK", for it always followed by some joke on my expense. It was all in the name of fun though so I laughed along, hopefully the rest were also laughing with me instead of at me...
Okay I better not think too much about that, heh.
We spent much time and effort in preparing the Treasure Hunt game. Since table sitting was such that there were colleagues from all four departments sharing a table to induce socialising and networking (it's a social event after all!), we tried to further that by making the game a team-working game. Also as the organising committee members were excluded from (winning) the games prepared by us (the two game masters), we tried to involved them in one way or another.
We cracked our brains and thought of ways to achieve that, here's how we pictured the Treasure Hunt game:
1. each table send a representative to collect a scroll from us, the scroll contains the first clue. Everyone return to their table and the game starts.
2. following the clue in the scroll, table-mates searched under their respective table for the second clue.
3. they searched their chairs following the clue from the note tapped to the underside of the table.
4. after reading the clue from the note tapped to the underside of one of their chairs, they try to find a golden star on their table. The star was part of the ribbon that came with the scroll.
5. the clue within the golden star asks each table to identify a specific committee member. This step is random since it's draw of luck which committee member they get when the representative chosed the scroll. The table-mates will have to figure out who the exact committee member they get is by the initials and the short description within the star. This is where colleagues from every department have to pool in their knowledge since committee members are from all four departments as well.
6. After identifying the committee member, the table-mate send a representative to approach the committee member to get the next clue. The committee member will give them a number. The number refers to the balloon with their final clue within. So, guests get to play, as do the committee members.
7. They then looked for their specific numbered balloon and get the final clue, which tells them to piece together the hidden message (italic font) in all their clues.
8. Finally the table-mates move as a whole with all the clues and get the treasure chest from the committee member's table.
The way we pictured it, it's orderly until step 6, since all the steps before that are confined to the table, all good and dandy right?
Right?
I had to use the restroom just as my partner game master was about to explain the game, I figured that I would be back long before they got to the identifying the committee member step. By the time I got back to the ball room, it's like a war zone!
Oh. My. Goodness.
People running everywhere looking for clues instead of at their table, someone ripped off a decorative star from the 2D statue we put up, thinking that's the lucky star, someone started popping balloons at random and everyone followed, it's chaotic and out of order.
And out of all the confusion someone took the chest from the committee table without following the steps, so basically the treasure hunt ended not the way we planned for.
Many things we could have done, but at the time we didn't think of doing, like asking everyone to remain at their table as soon as someone step out, telling them they can only leave their table if they have got to step 6. Perhaps if I didn't go to the restroom but went up to the stage with my partner game master, things would be different.
Oh well.
So much for the time and effort we put in preparing this game. My partner was not very happy about it and decided to open the chest himself as a sign that nobody won the game.
The emcee prepared some games as well, which were entertaining, but since I had a feeling he was going to pick on me when it came to the Idol game, I went to the restroom on purpose. I thought I was smart but when I was walking back to the ball room I heard the emcee asking,
"CK? Where's CK?"
Uh oh.
So, I was on the stage, make-up put on my face, and made to cat walk as a woman. I think the Mr Glitter finalists got a better deal, too bad I am not Mr Glitter material I wasn't eligible since I was a committee member. Anyway, I did my best to entertain the guests, I never had much trouble when it comes to making a fool of myself sportmanship. Hahahaha!
All in all, besides the food and the confusion at the Treasure Hunt game, I think the Annual Dinner went pretty well. I sure had fun and I now know that to be considered sexy, we men have to have small eyes, stylish hair, dress in red, being smart and have big belly! These are the wisdom of the five Miss Glitter finalists. =)
I am just a tad weary of stepping into the office tomorrow after all the "publicity" the emcee had given me yesterday...