Today is a lovely sunny Friday in summer and instead of being out in the sun on staff day... I'm here at work! Thanks largely to my colleague who was supposed to work but who got beaned in the face with an errant fly ball last night! Ah well!
My very first year with the company we went to Wonderland for staff day and I recently found an account of what transpired that day! Looking back - it was prolly one of the first times I actually PARTIED in the T Dot!
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One sunny summer's morning, passers by on a TO side street were surprised to see a large group of oddly dressed people armed with beach balls, balloons, party hats and even flag poles! Were they part of a traveling Circus that had somehow lost their tent... and perhaps even their wits? Close! It was Staff Day at the office! After checking the lists a 100 times to make sure everyone was present and accounted for... 200 employees were crammed into busses and we were off for a day of fun in the sun.
The day itself was a lot of fun.... and way too much happened for me to possibly be able to relate it all to you. The one funny story that I HAVE to mention was that we somehow persuaded our dept manager to go on one of the theme Park's wildest rides... only to have her throw up at the end! (yes, there are pictures).
All too soon we found ourselves back downtown that evening but like young Oliver Twist we wanted more! After much debate, everyone finally decided upon a dinner spot. Dinner and drinks turned into a full fledged pool tournament during which someone mentions Karaoke. And of course... we just HAVE to go for it! But where? Someone suggests Lee's Garden on Bay & Bloor.... and we all troop there. (Note: its already 10:30 pm.. and we've already finished SEVERAL rounds of beer).
Scene two (or is it three?): Lee's Garden - funny little Chinese restaurant. And I DO mean little. Several of us above 5 ft knocked our heads at the entrance! Once there, we take over 5 of the 7 tables and hijack the Karaoke machine along with the little man who attends to it. (yes he was little too). I discovered the Japanese in me that night...going up not once.. or twice.. but 4 times! I began my performance that night with a duet with the ever gallant Travis who had to support both me and the mike stand. Our very own rendition of Sony and Cher's I've got you Babe was an instant hit, catapulting us to superstardom - at least in the eyes of the Filipino group at table 3. At this point, I should perhaps mention that I had twisted my ankle the previous day and was barely able to walk let alone stand on a stage belting out numbers. The large amounts of beer was also not helping.
Little did everyone know, but Mr. Lee's Garden was equipped with some excellent surveillance devices. A fact we found out at about 1:30 am when 2 of Toronto's finest came in and asked management if everything was ok. At this point we realised that we were all damn good looking on tape.. sloshed as we were... and just as soon as the cops departed... (after a SEVERE warning not to attempt to drive, redundant as none of us had a car)...we spent a great deal of time trying to persuade the little Mr. Lee to give us a copy of the tape. Someone had the bright idea that we could sent it in to the next edition of Wanna Be a Rock Star. It would have worked if only we'd realised that Mr. Lee was really Mr. Wang.. and that he wasn't the owner.. just another patron at the restaurant.
Anyway.. that's about all I remember. There was a most hazy subway ride home.... and an excruciating pain in my ankle and head.... all of the next day - which is usually proof enough that it had been a damn good time!
The author cannot be reached for comment as she has very little factual evidence... let alone memory for most happenings that night.
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