Fun!

After the previous depressing post, I set off with Dad for a fun-filled afternoon at Park City Everly. South Furious Jacket E finally has their first oil produce and the workers are all celebrating like mad.

We arrived just in time, only to see less than 25 people by the pool. This is the first time I've truly realized how great Dad's working environment is. All the colleagues were very friendly - some were my age - Andy, Julianna, Frankie, Eddie and Amy and also the Uncles Tang, Yeo, Chen and Bala. It was surprising to see how multi-racial the group was. Uncle Bala was the only Indian representative who goes around calling everyone "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-der". LOL!

I had a good time playing with the kids but the highlight of the afternoon was the treasure hunt.

O
M
G

HAhaha.. we were divided into two teams and Uncle Yeo (avid drinker, karaoke enthusiast and cheeky nature) headed our team. The first clue was ( -.- ) under Dad's car! He wasn't allowed to play of course, there were other reasons for that which will be revealed in a while. Oh, the embarrassment! I lost to Uncle Tang's kid! Despite the fact that he fell as we approached the foot of the bridge (No! I did not push him!), I still lost to him on the foot race! :P Man.. I forgot what it's like to run like a kid! :P

The second clue had Mr. Bala running to the gym and having to lift weights. Jul came back faster than he did! LOL.. much to his embarassment :P Yes, we had an embarrasingly funny and blur-ed team! :D

Frankie then raced down to the beach to gather our third clue. Man, that was when everyone was told by his Uncle that he was a sprinter - he caught up with the other Uncle (I forgot his name!) so quickly that we thought it was the end of our embarrassing feat :P They both grabbed the red flag and actually ran back without the clue!!!

That was pretty much the end of the race. Why? Because we spent the rest of the afternoon digging, digging and digging!! The third clue (5 tshirts!!) did a disappearing act! From two diggers to the whole party, we dug around for an hour! The other team found two shirts after valiant attempt but spurned by the Msytery of them Invisible Shirts, nobody left the place! The committee eventually joined us and even they couldnt remember where they had planted the shirts! Andy and Amy were completely bewildered. nearly 20 people digging about in a space less than 4metres in diameter. It is during these situations where observation is necessary. Some dug around aimlessly without any strategy, some gave up early and went swimming while others were persistent. Determination comes in two forms - "I won't give up! - typical "bu4 gan1 yuan4" form! and "Impossible.. there must be here somewhere"

In the end, Andy found a stray shirt and everyone gave up after two hours!

Yeaps.. if you happen to visit the beach area in front of Park City Everly, there are still two cool-looking shirts buried between a lone tree and a post with an triangular-shaped overhead~

We retired to the pool after that for sandwiches and the like. It was there I witnessed how Uncles still have the strength and enthusiasm to drown each other. With my untimely monthly visitor due, I settled with learning 10 words from my vocab list. Dad and I left home to shower in time for the dinner at 6.30.

That night, about a hundred people showed up. Yeaps. Malaysian. Food. Free. Yahoo!!! We met Dad's boss - funny how they find it hard to talk to angmos too. No topics in common besides the projects? It was extremely awkward as Mom doesnt speak English either. The evening was filled with lots of laughter, teasing and catcalling. No kidding. We're talking about 30, 40, 50-year olds here, catcalling at the band and abusing the microphone.

It was during this eventful occasion I chose to 1) overcome my fear, 2) embarrass myself to the max. I decided to get up on stage to sing. I thought if Mom and Dad could do it (which they did and have done a lot), I should really get rid of my fear. And so I got up to belt "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion only to stand there in fright for the first verse.

Dumbstruck. Petrified.

Thank goodness for the DJ! THANK YOU! It was only when he put on the voice over for a bit then I opened my mouth. I've gotten on stage to act countless of times, why is it that I can't sing solo or string together a decent speech? :/ This is something I have to learn to overcome with time, with trial and with all the errors it's worth!!!

Helen Su! Stop being so afraid!

:P

Scary, but fun! :)