and the best thing is, yesterday and today were already awesome.

this is quite cute except i would never use it in front of others because we say such lame stuff.

the new Art Science Museum

the creativity hall

The original Ku De Ta in Bali

Loos are great for many things

Surf central

So after all the cake and with some people having already left, I managed to sit for a bit.  HY and Topo made me drink half a pint of beer. And the viking also ordered me a jagerbomb which I did not finish. By this time I was starting to get a little buzzed and remember having to consciously keep from staggering to the toilet.

After a couple more drinks, HY started reallly really letting loose. He was just itching to stand up and dance mambo style and I remember the three of us girls just laughing like mad at his antics.

After Audrey and Matt left  it was just us four left along with the viking and christian. He had already told me he intended to go for muay thai the next morning so didn’t want to stay out too late. Topo kept trying to persuade him to come with us to the pump room and at one point i was so amused because she had her arm around his neck trying to get him to change his mind and I knew he wasn’t going to budge.

Anyway after the kisses and adieus we dumped the gifts in the room. HY was giggling hysterically trying to empty the fridge of all the drinks so we could shove in the leftover cake. Topo somehow managed to lock herself in the bathroom and when she finally unlocked it, she was sitting on the floor, also laughing.

Both of them claim they don’t remember the journey to the pump room but I vividly remember standing in queue outside and Topo latching on to me and telling me to ‘relax ok, relax’. It was hilarious because HY was chanting ‘like a G6′ and kept challenging her to drink five pints of beer at her future birthday party in June. When we got in, Topo paid the cover charges and then kept the receipt, and later claimed she did not have the drinks vouchers. We all headed near the stage and started dancing. Fur and I almost desperately tried to keep HY in line so his enthusiastic dancing wouldn’t injure or offend anyone around him.  After three songs I was tired and sat on a nearby chair. And I think at this point HY needed the loo so Fur brought him out and they subsequently went home.

Then I got a text from the viking: ‘are you at pumproom’. The instant after I replied, I spotted him and Christian. More hugs and he whispered in my ear, “We were at the cab stand and  I was thinking I really wanted to give you a big hug, so here we are.” And after a while he left and Topo and Christian continued dancing. I joined Biru (who had already adjourned there earlier) and her cousin and friends plied me with more drinks, including a flaming lamborghini. That was really nasty and Biru said how lousy I was that I needed three straws to finish it. And then I really felt it was time to call it a night and after going to the loo again, left and headed back.

Gosh it was a crazy night but I’m amazed I survived it fairly intact and with no hangover.

I was nervous pretty much the entire day, nervous about everyone coming, nervous that my dress would be ill fitting, nervous that my shoes which i hadn’t worn in over a year, would fall apart.

After dinner, while I got ready, Audrey and Shumin went on ahead as they were worried people would start arriving to an empty booth. The first to arrive were Wee and Jaron, as well as K. From then on people streamed in rather steadily. Shree, Sherry, Ben and Huimin were next and I was so excited by their gift, which was the polaroid camera. Shumin and Audrey very kindly figured how to get it to work. From then on everything was kind of a blur. I know the live singer sang me a birthday song early on. And I was flitting around a lot from groups of people to groups of people, butting in and out of conversations, welcoming newly arrived guests. I was constantly on my feet and didn’t really drink anything.

And then somewhere along the way the viking and his best friend Christian arrived, like some guests of honour. And I got a little bit nervous because I just knew everyone would be watching. We got a couple of introductions out of the way and it was quite funny. I remember seeing all the bloggies standing up with quite solemn looks on their faces, like they were getting ready to meet royalty or something.

Thankfully both of them settled down with drinks and I knew I could leave them alone to entertain themselves.  Almost immediately the viking wanted me to open his gift, but I insisted I wanted to wait till midnight.

After that I think Ramsey arrived, and then Wayne a little after, so I heaved a huge sigh of relief. All the work guys could sit in a circle and talk shop. (And of course I found out today Ramsey was talking about nicknames, including all the ones he has for me.)

And then Biru called to say she had just finished work and was swinging by, which was pretty awesome.  But UU and Wee and Jaron left pretty early and in the back of my mind I was thinking, you haven’t had cake!

But all too soon it was close to midnight. Audrey cued the cake tower and all the attention suddenly made me shy and I wanted to get it all over and done with. So I remember blowing out the three candles really quickly and there were lots of flashes of phone cameras and proper cameras. I think everyone was trying to get pictures of the cake.

After that things started to slow a little. I finally opened the viking’s present, which had the telltale Montblanc wrapper and ribbon. I remember him saying, “it’s actually a bicycle helmet, the wrapper is fake”. The bloggies’ gift was next, a lovely pair of Thomas Sabo earrings, which I wore immediately.

Also, everyone said my dress and shoes looked great, so that was one worry off my mind.

second part to come…

HY looks deceptively sober but he really was very very far gone at this point.

And I will never forget him repeating ‘like a G6′ over and over.