Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Gong Xi Par Tay!

You can imagine the surprise on my face when I woke up this morning to find out that I'm hosting a party.

Mom : Hey, what do you want for the party?
Paul : Party?
Mom : Yeah, the party you're throwing tonight.
Paul : I am throwing a party? How much did I drink last night?

Fortunately it turns out I hadn't lost my memory after a drunken bender that ended with me inviting bedraggled pubcrawlers to my place for a spree! The party was all my socialista mom's fault. Somehow in between a brief two-minute conversation with some friends, my mother managed to suggest, plan and invite a score of strangers to an impromptu new year dinner party.

Raise a glass
Par-tay! My compliments to the hostess!

Ever since she was a child sighing over rainbows and stars, my mom has always held sugar-spun dreams of becoming the perfect social hostess throwing elegant soirees and dinner parties for the select crowd. Unfortunately her antisocial children preferred to consort with uncivilized ragamuffins who tended towards mamak cuisine rather than cucumber sandwiches.

Certainly doesn't serve to dampen my mother's bubbly enthusiasm for an instant party! Without receiving a yea or nay from me, she immediately delved into her Perfect Hostess Book to find the page on How to Throw a Surprise Party in Half a Day!

According to her, a convivial party with happy guests attracts good chi for the new year. I'm not inclined to disagree. So it was down with the green Christmas cheer and up with the flashy reds of New Year. Household makeover all in an hour.

And to think my ISO and I used to gatecrash parties in our horrid schooldays! Now I find myself so lazy to attend that my friends practically have to drive by in armed vehicles, tie me up and toss me in the trunk to drag me to their parties! Don't even talk about school reunions.

So you can imagine how I feel about hosting another :) So I called up my long missing-in-action ISO ( actually seconded to work elsewhere ) for advice.

Paul : You'd better come. Bring a dish.
My ISO : Come where?
Paul : My party tonight. You've been busy for months. Don't give bloody work as an excuse again.
My ISO : Heck, chances are I'd get laid off. Will a fruit basket do?
Paul : Make that five fruit baskets.

Well that covers the dessert.

Damn, three hours to go. And now for the main course. Does anyone know where I can find roasted chickens and tossed salads in a hurry?

12 comments:

lllearned said...

Ayam Mas ...or just a bucket of KFC lah. :)

Dave said...

Let's get that wild party starting!

Just like a sauna in Singapore, where red briefs are given out together with condoms and lubes during the 3 days of CNY. :p

[SK] said...

well, why not just call up your (mother's) guests to tell them this is a potluck, leave that getting-roasted-chicken-and-tossed-salad-in-such-a-hurry trouble to them :p

Janvier said...

Kenny Rogers. Else how about a cheese and wine CNY partay?

Medie007 said...

hur hur hur
that sounds fun. :P

Ryan said...

So how's the par-tay? You managed to find your chicken?

Anonymous said...

I hope the party went well! :)

Anonymous said...

Ho. Ho. Ho. We so need an update on how that Perfect Party in Just Half A Day went. ;)

And before I forget, here's wishing you and your loved ones 新年快乐! :D

Anonymous said...

took me a while to understand par tay instead of fa cai hahahah..i was thinking wat dialect uses par tay

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm totally different from you. I threw a party last Christmas. It's my mum who wasn't really into the idea; cooking for 30 people and tiring oneself was simply not her cup of tea. I was all for the party, made a list, planned the menu, got the tables and chairs, invite the guests... Mum was the supervisor, I go to her when I needed any help with cooking. All ended well...

savante said...

Party turned out well surprisingly. :) Some fried chicken, lotsa wine - and everyone's happy.

Cyclohelix said...

Happy Chinese New Year Paul! Regards :)

PS: Sorry for the late greeting, just got back here