Broke Back Stools

I wanted to title this entry as "love is in the air" but i thought it is too cheesy.

I love it when i could feel & see the "love" in the air.

the energy is dense enough for me to feel it literally.

i was at a BBQ dinner at a client's place. both my boss and i were invited.

when we got there, many people were already having second or third helpings and they were all relaxed and cool. the part i liked most was that i could feel the friendship they had for each other. you know, just plainly joking and chatting and making each other at home with food and drinks. i dont know why but i could feel that these people truly liked each other.

the whole relation was a business one, our client invited a few vendors for BBQ.

but it was more of a friendly gathering rather than a corporate one.

for i learnt, these people has known each other for over 30 yrs, mostly over 10 yrs.

i am among the new-kid-on-the-block and i belong with just a handful of new buyers who are also new at their jobs. so in a way, there is the 3rd generation, which is us.

it was all nice and i really liked it.

my HQ office CEO cooked a few dishes and brought to the party.

that includes the delicious chilli crab, which she explained to us the lengthy procedure of making the paste. i said we only know to eat. haha.

not forgetting her ever famous fish ball soup and the curry chicken that i didnt taste.

i guess any dish made with love is really impactful. simple but impressionable.

no wonder there's a saying "to win a man's heart is through his stomach" (appetite)

i always tell my husband, when we move to a bigger flat, i am going to cook and bake.

i wish for the day to come.

i was too excited to really eat. i only had bee hoon, one piece of crab and one stick of lamp.

excited because i was too conscious! all eyes was on me and some of the people joked that they thought i was my boss' phillipino girlfriend. (he is known to have many girlfriends and only likes phillipinos)

so anyway, i was a LOUSY conversationalist, if i ever did talk at all.

i sat beside a few people and we kept quiet the whole time.

i am terrible!

i am a bimbo!

terrible. all i did was to answer politely and nothing else. smile a bit. terrible.

there was this lady, she is the hairdresser of my CEO and she always joins the parties.

she is so bubbly and cheerful, joked and laughed a lot. heartily.

i wished i could be lighthearted too.

i bought a book that says "92 ways to make small talks" and i have not gone through 10pages.

terrible.

painfully shy.

"how could it be?" you think

i don't know.

oh, ok, broke-back stools.

you see those red stools in the picture above?

five people fell off their bumps and landed on the floor.

five or more almost did.

we joked that those were not "toyogo" brand, hence not hardy.

it was a night of laughter, though i thought it is not funny really, to fall off the seat. it could be dangerous.

so anyway, i learnt that beyond the surface of business and work,

what made the business successful is the friendship-engine that generates helpfulness, co-operation, loyalty and love that keep the business going fine.

i am glad and honoured to be in the circle and i sure think i've earned it!

=)