Hula-ing Away

Tonight is our company's annual Dinner and Dance in Singapore, with the Tropical Paradise theme. Personally, I think they are talking about Hawaii, but I guess there are others with different ideas of what a tropical paradise is.

However, I won't be going though my boss is really excited about it. Horror stories of how boring it is have deterred me from signing up though the lucky draw prize is attractive - a pair of travel vouchers to the island of Hawaii. I made an arrangement with my global colleague sitting behind me. His boss from San Ramon is here in town and he has to bring him out tonight and over the weekend. So I suggested that the best way for his boss to get to know folks over here in AP is to attend the dinner. I handed him my D&D ticket with the deal that should it win the lucky draw prize, it would be mine. He sportingly agreed and promised to give me the tickets when he next saw me. We shook hands on that deal, and he left to pick up his boss, with my ticket.

I DO have a valid reason for not going. Our small group will be disbanded next year, and tonight will be our last meeting together. So while I had my heartaches with some members in my small group, I thought it would be good to attend the last "closing" meeting. Its akin to going to the funeral of someone who you really were not that close to, but feel obligated because you have known him for some time, and he led such a miserable life that you can't decide if it was a tragedy or blessing that he had to go earlier than expected. Yes, that's the way I feel about our small group, sadly.

Oh, I did have good times and there are a couple of friendships I made that have been rewarding. But over the 2 years that I have been with them, everyone was extremely considerate, polite, and christianly - to the point where you would never know what was REALLY going on in their lives, their true struggles, their real feelings and thoughts, and who they really were. But - they did provide the fellowship, support and occasional listening ear, transport home, etc. which is a lot in today's age of individualism and overwhelming rat race that has overtaken our lives. Its just that they would not be the people I would think of calling should I ever encounter a real life crisis.

So, that is how I will spend my Dinner and Dance. While others will be having relatively good fun at the Tropical Ballroom with hopes of winning the grand lucky draw prize, I will be attending a funeral of sorts and saying goodbye to a confusing part of my life. Sayonara, adieu and au revoir. On another note - what should I say "Hello" to for 2007? *ponders cynically*