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The DTC Christmas party just finished and it was really fun doing it with them peeps. We loved it. So fabulous and intimate. We had fun playing games (and we won), we ate good food (but not as good as last year in Crowne Plaza), received many many gifts and saw each other loosen up especially during this time when we’re filled with a lot of deadlines before the year ends. And for the third year in a row, I was hailed Male Star of the Night. Haha!

THEY’RE HERE! CLICK CLICK CLICK for the pictures!

Our company party this year was by-far the most fabulous I’ve seen in my years in DTC where everyone actually dressed up accordingly. Black-AND-White is actually easy to pull off and looks very good in the eyes and camera.

Now here are the things that made the party super fab!

VENUE

Richmonde Hotel’s function rooms and hallway were beautiful and it provided an intimate setting which was perfect for less than thirty people. It’s not like the other parties I’ve seen where the venue was too big, too plain and the sound system drowned you that you felt like watching the party than actually being part of it. I especially like the hotel’s gold and green walls, the grand chandeliers and the photogenic staircase.

FOOD

Honestly, the food was good but not as great as last year in Seven Corners, Crowne Plaza where everything was overflowing (obviously overflowing since it was an eat-all-you-can buffet). When dining, the first thing I look at are the desserts. Last year was so good we even had a chocolate fountain, ice cream in different flavors, lots of cakes, fruits and salad.  This year we only had a variety of fruits and cakes but their chocolate cake was whack! While we were waiting for the others to arrive, Ate Kay allowed us to get appetizers. I, on the other hand, went for desserts. She saw me looking at the cakes and she quickly whisked me off! Mamaya pa daw yun. Hehe… She didn’t know that desserts are my appetizers. So I just took smoked salmon, a bowl of soup and whatever kind of salad it was.

Our main course was good but my culinary knowledge is close to zero so I only took whatever that looked good to my eyes. And unlike most people, I’m not the type who mix all sorts of viand on my plate just for the sake of trying everything. I hate it when sauces of different viands mix up. When we went back inside the function room I only had tuna and beef and rice. I wasn’t hungry pa din naman that’s why I wasn’t in the mood to taste the rest. But what I had was good.

THE HOSTS

Zyra and I “hosted” the show. Hehe. I’m not a good host and I don’t like hosting because I hardly have time to eat properly or do what I want during the party. But it was fun being in front of them and getting the party going. And because we were very busy during the week, we weren’t able to read the program. We just did a quick run-through of the cue cards that’s why there were times when I read Zyra’s part and she ended up repeating what I said. And there were times when I was waiting for her to speak only to realize I should be the one throwing lines so there was a few seconds of silence and eye conversations there. Hahaha!

It was also very cold at the podium and whenever we’d have to wait at the back of a speaker, Zyra and I would laugh at ourselves about how we’re both cold and chilling.

THE PEOPLE

Of course a party won’t be happy without happy and beautiful people in it.

THE PROGRAM

Elaine arranged the program and thought of something that made everyone laugh (and made Carlo extra observant about who’s not paying attention). Everyone was given a balloon. We should keep it from popping until the end of the party but, to make things interesting, we were also allowed to pop other people’s balloons. And if there was an award for the balloon popper for the night, Carlo would win by a landslide for the great effort he gave (including pretending to go out to the hallway only to pop in from the other door to surprise an unsuspecting victim).

THE GAMES

There were four games and I was able to join (and win) the first one with Jack and Celle as my teammates. It was called “Dress-Up Your Santa”. Everyone’s given materials (red and white Japanese paper, cotton, scissors and tape) to dress up a team member to look like Santa Claus. The other teams had members that could easily look like Santa Claus (in terms of body figure) and that was a disadvantage to us. So we came up with a unique idea and I became the model for Mrs. Claus. Hahaha! Sir Bobet’s team made a clean job and he even had a sack so I thought they’d win. But the models were judged by the audience so I knew we’d get the win if I’d strike a jolly pose. And so we won. There goes my disgraceful moment for the night.

Other games included the classic Charades and wrapping a present using only one hand. Luckily I wasn’t part of these games because I was then dying to get desserts.

THE NEWBIES’ INITIATION

Every year, a batch of newbies should perform a humiliating task or a novelty dance number (or both) for everyone during the Christmas Party or Summer Outing. When I underwent this two years ago, we performed “Ang Ganda Ko” by Sandara Park and played a character for a skit in front of other spectators in White Rock Resort in Olonggapo. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. There were seven of us who performed. This year there were only three of them: Betsy, Jeyelle and Harvey. They were asked to do a dance number for “Ayos Na Ang Buto Buto” by Vhong Navarro. And damn! That was really very funny! I had a headache because of laughing constantly. Betsy surely got her groove on!

THE GIFTS

Weeks before the party, we were asked for a desired item as DTC’s gift this Christmas. But to make it more fun, they decided to shuffle the gifts and let each person choose from the pack which of those might be his or hers. If ever you got the wrong one, you have an option to exchange it with the one who got your gift. If that person wishes to keep your gift then sorry, you don’t have a choice. Hehe. Fortunately, I got mine correctly.

THE STARS OF THE NIGHT

Every year we have an award for the Female and Male Star of the Night. I don’t know how Mrs. Prudente picks the winner (maybe the best-dressed?) but it was my third time to win. Natasha won as my female counterpart. This year, we dark-skinned ladies outshone the rest. Black is really beautiful. Haha! They were joking that next year I should be hailed as a Hall-of-Famer and should not win the title anymore.

THE PHOTO OPP

A party can never be complete without the fab poses and flashes of lights. If you want to get the attention of the room and gather everyone close, take out a camera and take their picture. Surely, you don’t need to shout and ask for everybody to come close. It’s an automatic thing, you know! At the end of the party, Shelby did a two 10-shot burst-mode photos of us with less than a second interval per shot. It was funny figuring out your next pose when the camera’s constantly taking a picture. They turned out really cute! I can’t stop smiling whenever I look at them. Here’s all twenty pics from that less-than-a-minute photo opp.

In any DTC event that involves taking pictures, it can never be complete without Carlo’s many “Who The Hell” moments. In our Public Affairs folder, you’re sure to find a lot of pics with Carlo sticking his head into the frame. Hahaha!

And I think the best pictures taken are those candid moments when everyone shows authentic smiles, laughter and emotions. Like these:

It was a fun night and when I went home, I was carrying four paper bags filled with gifts (most of which I still haven’t opened). Thank you to everyone in DTC for the many gifts, the happy memories for 2008 and the knowledge I got from all of you. Until next year, there won’t be a blog entry as long and as photo-filled as this. Merry Christmas everybody!

*** Thank you to Shelby, Mato, Harvey and Jeyelle for the pictures. ***