A Golden Celebration

25 years ago, something wonderful happened and so we gather now to celebrate- eat, drink and make new friends who we won't remember come morning. All for the sake of Mac's Golden Birthday/Thanksgiving Extravaganza! (A title like that deserves exclamation...)

So, first things first, we had cake! Not just any cake, but Cookies and Cream Ice Cream cake, with strawberries and a white chocolate Happy Birthday sign. Then we went out to Hard Rock Cafe, for a CD release party for the Maldivian band called "Vengence" and a late night stop at The Four Floors of Whores (a most appropriate name, but not necessarily the real one which is much more civil, like "Orchard Towers" or something) where we quickly tired of the not-so-friendly service, trying-too-hard-to-be country music and unavoidable eavesdropping on late-night business transactions. A cultural note should be made here- Prostitution in Singapore is legal, but restricted to designated red-light districts. By outlawing pimping and street prostitution, and instituting mandatory health checks (including AIDS/HIV and other STD testing), the government holds a higher standard for the lucrative industry and often attracts workers from surrounding countries to ply their trades in legal brothels, karaoke bars and massage parlors. That being said, it doesn't make the whole thing any less shady so we headed home for a relatively early night.

Saturday we prepared our Thanksgiving feast, with less than bountiful pickings from a local supermarket. To our dismay, there was no pumpkin pie (or even just the filling, which can be eaten straight from the can) but we did find Stove Top in a box and fried onions for

green bean casserole and, thanks to the oven purchase made last week, were able to put together some semblance of a home-cooked meal.

After dinner and a bottle of champagne (personalized for the Golden Birthday Girl--who would like it to be noted that she only teared up a bit at such a thoughtful and creative gesture), we arrived at Powerhouse for the invite-only club opening, where we got in thanks to Gloria (who is

much cooler than we will ever be, at just 19) and her doorman skills. The VIP set-up was more than we expected, with a full buffet lay-out and free drinks until midnight, but in retrospect it simply fell right into place with our celebration. The entertainment was icing on the proverbial cake, with hip-hop shows and saxophone solos to name a few. Surely we can't be expected to sit back and just watch--someone had to get the dancing started, and "Twisting" was just the ticket. Our efforts, of course, were rewarded when the dancers on the stage directed their gyrations in our direction, and the saxophonist dedicated his belting of "Beautiful Girl" to yours truly.
The show ended, which was our cue to join the crowd on the stage and continue dancing. Hours later, we stumbled home, and we would have kicked Say for waking us up at the ungodly hour of 11am if we had regained any motor function yet.
A hearty hangover breakfast, and Mac made the painful (emotionally and physically) journey back to Thailand--a bearable trip considering that we would see each other again in two weeks for a long weekend on Ko Samet...

All Good Things...

September came and went, bringing bittersweet memories as November 1st loomed in the distance. With their contracts ending, Keeks was set to leave behind a legacy and travel afar (okay, no so far) to the land of Merlions and perfectly spoken English. Mac was preparing to brave another year, Matyhom 1/2 be damned! But, before that could happen, the duo packed up for one Grand Finale on Ko Samet.

Things started off in a routine way- some Saturday afternoon peppering to work out the kinks from the bus ride; cooling off in the ocean; having pictures taken with/by complete strangers. Then, just when they thought their afternoon pick-up game would be a bust, the competition appeared.

Who knew that our toughest opponents would be one-third our size? The girls should know by now that their affinity for children means that they will never escape their presence. And so the two girls spent the rest of the day with a gang of kids, ranging from 3-9 years old, and led by Dahng, who although was one of the youngest, he was also the first brave soul to approach us, grabbing the ball and insisting on joining. How could Kiki and Mac resist? Their ability to speak Thai was the focal point of introductions to Dahng's friends, and after hours of endless playtime and buying snacks and water, they were later invited to take a nap and replace their mothers.

After tearing themselves away from what turned out to be a tropical edition of The Babysitter's Club, the girls prepared for their night out- meaning, they tried to scrub all the sand off themselves before giving up and falling asleep in their towels for an hour. Once dressed, they headed to Jep's for dinner and were greeted with two glasses of red wine, compliments of Pi Chai, before they even sat down.

"How did he know we were coming?" they asked, to which someone of the spiritual persuasion might have answered that their spirit is carried on the whispers of the ocean and their presence can be felt by close friends across the island, as they are all kindred souls. A more logical explanation was that somebody saw them coming.

What began as the traditional evening out on Ko Samet--fabulous dinner, joking with friends, followed by pool at Naga bar--all changed when the girls ordered their first bucket of gin and tonic. Already their drink of choice, ordering buckets is a recipe for trouble--or a really interesting story. Take adoption, for example. Kiki, her imminent departure a mere five days away, found it perfectly reasonable to adopt one of the new puppies at the bar, a black and white, cuddly, lovable mutt named Oreo. Two buckets later, and after meeting up with some friends, the girls went to Silver Sands and found it appropriate to order two more buckets of gin and tonic. The rest of the evening, as pieced together the following morning, involves a lot of dancing, torn apparel, and sand. Whether they were wrestling or swimming home in the sand, the world may never know. But we'll leave it up to your imagination...
Before leaving the island, the duo picked up Oreo (without once questioning whether she would be allowed on the bus or not) and said their goodbyes. However, leaving usually doesn't come easily and this time even the forces of nature where trying to keep them from going home. What started out as a light rain while the ferry was being loaded with people turned into a full-blown monsoon halfway to Ban Phe. At one point the tarp covering the upper deck of the boat gave way and brought buckets of water down on the people still dressed in their shorts and beach cover-ups. With shrieking and laughter, people ran for cover and the boat tumbled across the waves. Oreo slept through most of it, while Keeks and Mac wept bittersweet tears and laughed at the irony of it all.