Annual Dinner

At the end of November my assistant asked me if I'd be willing to participate in my department's program for the annual dinner. She said that we'd be singing. I said yes, not really understanding (like a lot of things) what I was getting into. She neglected to mention that I would be kicking it off acapella. We wound up singing a song "Mercer Welcomes You" that we adapted from "Beijing Welcomes You," one of the songs that was very popular here due to the Olympics. It was an experience and now every single person in the office knows exactly who I am. I did get a round of applause though.

I hope you enjoy the attached video from the beginning of January. The actual song is quite a bit longer, but thought this gives you a feel for the event. One of my coworkers recorded it and it's not professional, but quite amusing.

Can you tell what languages my coworkers are singing in at the beginning?

If I were you...

Asking for advice – it’s something we do all the time without even thinking about it. Last night I consciously asked my friends here the following question:
“Give me advice! What should be next for me?”

Let me back up a bit.

Last night was my going away party. My ticket home is June 29th, but my parents come on Thursday and with the Dragon Boat holiday and scheduling, I decided to throw it last night. I invited my friends to one of my favorite places, the Party World karaoke club by Jing’ an Temple. As you know, I love to sing and so it was an easy choice. I’ve been to a couple of other places, but this one has the best selection of English songs and as I can only sing 2 songs in Chinese (with a cheat sheet), that was paramount.

Despite a slightly rocky start – the volume of the music kept getting softer for some reason and Curt had to leave just about as soon as he got there because of a work emergency, everything worked out great. Jane serenaded us with current Chinese pop. Geoff and I reprised our hit “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and added “Rocky Mountain High” to the mix. We all embarrassed ourselves by knowing the words to a Back Street Boys song. Sean did Blondie’s falsetto to perfection. Todd and Karen sang several ravishing duets at the front of the room and we chilled to “Day Dream Believer.” Then, for the grand finale we all stood up, abandoned the microphones, and sang Sinatra’s “My Way.” Iain attempted to use my camera to videotape this, but unfortunately (or rather fortunately), it didn’t work.

As we sang and ate and drank, I passed around a small notebook, with the first page stating what I mentioned at the beginning: “Give me advice! What should be next for me?” It moved from person to person, collecting in the process – a limerick from Sean:

“There once was a lady named Greta // Who really could not have been better // At K T V // She made a fool of me // And now I wish that I’d never met ‘er!”

A quote from Karen: “Yesterday was history, Tomorrow is the future, Today is a present!” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Functional language from Amber: “In my opinion / To be honest … maybe you should consider a future in singing.”

The resounding themes in the 12 entries were follow my bliss, have fun, stay in Shanghai, travel, open a KTV bar, enjoy the present and work towards finding happiness. Good wishes, good friends and singing – what more can a girl ask for?

Wrapped up the evening by taking a jaunt to the corner on the back of Geoff’s new electric bike and then since I didn’t have to get up today, went out to a couple of clubs with Sean where he cheerfully carried my dictionary (present from a friend) and tried to get me drunk. Didn’t succeed really, but the DJ at Shelter was phenomenal. Great pulsing beats – dropped in bed about 3am. Good party overall.

Question: It’s pretty obvious, I think. Give me advice! As I finish this chapter in my life, what should be next for me?

I expect a lot of comments on this one. I know you’re still reading, right? The blog will continue at least for another month or so, but there will be a break when I’m traveling with my folks. Then we’ll see what happens.