So many colors in this ballroom. But not as much life as the bedroom that we left on the 14th floor to join Jeff in this chamber event. All around me, there is some sort of a rap movement going on.
We are attending the biggest spring ball organized by the biggest foreign chamber of commerce here in Guangzhou. As of this writing, we are three hours into the program and it’s getting more and more boring.
Hey, I don’t hate parties. I enjoy some of them. But not this one. Bands’ vocalists are belting the wrong notes. I had a problem when this woman started blabbering words from Filipino rap group Salbakuta’s version of Stupid Love as an interlude to Jessie J’s Price Tag. Something was so fundamentally wrong.
I really thought there would be many owners/employees/staff of foreign companies here tonight. But there are so little of them. Not that many Caucasians and Americans either. The audience andscape has changed, said Jeff. Since the pre-party cocktails at 6:00 p.m. until now at close to 10:00 p.m., I have counted at least 60 Chinese women in clad in tight-fitting dresses, high heels and blinding jewelry pieces. I was told some of them are account executives of some hotels, magazines and tour companies. But most of them are well, to quote that 54-year-old lady who was more than honest with her opinion, “ladies searching for grooms so they will become brides.” I won’t say anything more.
In case you are asking where the twins are, they are upstairs – in this hotel where we are checked in because we decided to just stay here for the night – in the company of Jeff’s Bishop and his wife. (Did I mention before that Jeff is Mormon and I’m Catholic?) Kind people, really. They volunteered to babysit the twins for four hours while we attend this party. Do you still get a lot of them in this day? I sure was surprised when Jeff told me that they offered. Nicholas and Antoinette are cry babies, especially when they are in a place for the first time. Tonight is one of those nights.
While waiting for their volunteer babysitters, I put on make-up and worked on my hair. Jeff was all ready – handsome in his coat and tie – but was changing dear Nicholas’ dirty diaper. The sight was near funny. And then, there was Antoinette, in her crib for the night wailing in a hoarse voice. Really pitiful.
Writing this as a raffle draw is going on and the person with a ticket number 260 just won an overnight stay in the same hotel where we live.
“Oh crap!” Jeff said.
Me: “What?”
Jeff: “They called 260. I am 206.”
Me: “It’s ok. The prize is not life changing.”
Jeff: “That’s not the point. I just want to experience what it’s like to win in a raffle draw.”
That basically was the highlight of the program. Dinner was served and we praised Heavenly Father for Mexican food. We didn’t wait for dessert and left.
We hurried upstairs where the screaming and crying will be so loud but definitely much meaningful than noisy bands and singers who sing off-key.
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T30WC or The 30-minute Writing Challenge is a writing exercise born out of this blogger’s need to maintain a habit of writing. Subjects of each writing challenge is just about anything but should ONLY be written within 30 minutes.
