BRINGING VEGAS TO MAKATI

Two days into the weekend last week, my work schedule was packed with meetings with our counterparts from Hong Kong doing a roadshow for a new initiative in our industry. The whole experience was tight and a bit fast-tracked, plus I have to occasionally pitch in practices for our presentation and normal work that was totally unrelated to the roadshow topic. It required a lot of energy and effort but it was fine, since the finish line marked the start of our much anticipated company Christmas party.

The party was held at the Quezon Ballroom of The Makati Shangri-La, and the theme was Showstoppers, a Vegas-inspired night. Everyone donned their glitzy outfits, and some were even sporting new personalities reminiscent of the Sin City. As for Showstoppers, I had observed five that night; at the least these were the highlights of my evening:

First is the food. One should expect nothing less than superb from a five-star hotel, however Shangri-La was really showy on us that night. They prepared an abundant buffet of perfectly cooked dishes, it reminded me of a Swedish smorgasbord, only the food were edible. My favorites were the salmon, roast beef, seafood soup, some pastries and cheese, and the souffle. It was the first time I had tasted a souffle in my life and it was really good. I almost wore the same expression when I had my first lasagna back when I was seven.

Me and Melai from Finance

Me and Karen from Finance

(L-R) Me, Jef, Karen, Kim, Jane, and Bryan at the hotel lobby

The second highlight for me was the performances of our CEO. He started the night by putting up a band of his own, together with another executive (or ex-executive?) and a group of hired professionals maybe. They played groovy songs and they were really good that we weren't able to help but sashay to dance floor and jiggle some moves. Our CEO has shown everyone how good a sport he is, and a talented one at that. We applauded cheerily after their last song. However, he wasn't quite done yet as later that evening he had another performance. It was a hiphop dance number with the rest of the Executive Committee. Yes people, the normally stern top-ranking people in the company showed us their fun side. They were led by our Marketing head, Miss Belle, who I admit was really good at dancing, especially for her age.

the playful male new hires

Next highlight is without bias the best one that evening. It was the New Hires' Presentation, of course I was part of it. We brought the house down with our little gimmick. The crowd went gaga when us boys, with all our blinking shutter shades, grinded to the tune of Lady Gaga's Alejandro.

the foxy female new hires

Another highlight were the raffles and games. I think more than a hundred employees (including contractual and utilities) won cash and gadgets in the raffles, while each player got a thousand bucks if he wins in the games. Well, I can say that the company didn't just do well this year, but it also wants to make sure that the employees are well-rewarded. If you weren't lucky in the raffles or games, you at least have a sure cash gift like everyone else, which was credited in our accounts that same day.

The last highlight for me was the party after the program. It started a little lazy though as the house band commenced with 80s OPM songs, thus only few were dancing. The scene reminded me of the tv commercial of RJ Bar. *grin* However, when Ne-yo's Closer was played, all the youngsters joined in and the dance floor sizzled until the band bade farewell. It was a fun fun night that ended with a blast and i saw that everyone else was really having a good time.

A big applause for our company and congratulations to all the employees for a good 2010 performance. That's how Pru rolls. Job well done. :)

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After the party, us new hires had a bonding at a cowboy-inspired bar in Greenbelt 3. Weng-weng, Mai-Tai and tequila shots completed our evening.

(L-R) Jef, Melai, Ralph, and Cleo

(L-R) Me, Karen, Bryan, and Jane