THE MSC CHRISTMAS PARTY 2010 - PART 4

The traditional MSC IDOL came next after exhausting ourselves from all the fun games that Jaypee, Jeybi and Glady prepared for us that night.

Every member sung along with the music played from the videoke machine and will be judged according to voice quality and showmanship. This is actually not a contest but a way to gauge the singing progress of each and every member of the group.

The judges this year were Karesse (Soprano), Glenn (Tenor) and, as always, me.

Gerry (Tenor), our reigning IDOL finally gives up his crown to Kuya Arnel (Bass) this year. Followed by Cris Matus (Soprano) and Charles Cunanan (Bass). It was all good fun. No sore losers but only a realization of how important constant practice of singing skills is, especially when being a part of THE MAYSAN SENIOR CHOIR.   

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS...

WELL... TO ME, YOU ARE ALL WINNERS!

THE MSC CHRISTMAS PARTY 2010 - PART 3

Then there were the games.

I was very fortunate to have captured most of the unforgettable moments that transpired at our party with my beloved nikon D5000. Whenever I catch scenes bursting with genuine emotions through my lens, I consider them priceless. Especially the happy ones.

The party games were quite different from last year as well.  Thanks to the newbies and younglings who poured out their fresh ideas on it.

Nothing beats a good dose of wholesome fun. And a break from all the seriousness of the world around us. Sometimes one would wish that life would just simply be a game that can be stopped at will whenever there is a need for a much needed break. What do you think?☺

THE MSC CHRISTMAS PARTY 2010 - PART 2

The Christmas Party officially kicked off at around half past eight which is indeed a big improvement from last year's time. I was even more pleased to find out that the younglings were already prepared with their games and programme. Especially the Hosts for the night, Jaypee and Glady!

Of course, our party won't start without a thanksgiving prayer led by Tito Oyet (Tenor).

There were lots of food and drinks for everyone! A lot of time and space to go about the function/garage area of my house for picture taking and bonding with one another. There were no serious matter that took place during this time and all were obliged to have fun. That was what this party is all about.

THE MSC CHRISTMAS PARTY 2010 - PART 1

The Day after Christmas. When all still have their holiday hangovers from the drinking spree they had the previous night. The 26th of December, the scheduled day of our party fell on a Sunday. So we still had to serve our 5AM scheduled Mass Service. I was quite eager to wake up that day. I knew that the members, especially the elders of the group are bound to make food preparations for the Christmas Party in the evening. And I gladly join them everytime. sort of a tradition on my part.   

After the mass and breakfast, we went to Suki Market in Quezon City to buy ready-made Sushi and other ingredients for the food that we will serve at the party. I was quite surprised to find out that Suki Market was somehow at par with Farmer's Market in Cubao where there are  many things to buy especially when you are into asian and other oriental foods. But knowing that there are a lot of newbies and younglings in the group this year, we decided to serve the traditional.   


Chicken Cordon Bleu was assigned to the Sopranos, Roasted Chicken for the Tenors, BBQed Pork Belly for the Basses and a refreshing Kani Salad for the Altos. There were some members who volunteered to contribute other foods too. Tita Lulu (Soprano) made us a big batch of Carbonara, Charles (Bass), who recently made a comeback, gave the group a special ice cream cake from DQ for dessert, chocolates and candy bars from Glenn (fresh from Singapore, Tenor) and as mentioned, a large platter of sushi from Tito Oyet (Tenor).

(continued...)

MSC ALL DAY, ALL THE WAY

My long day with MSC started at 3AM when I was awaken by my cellphone alarm followed by a call from Cocoy, MSC President telling me to rise up from bed and get dressed for "Simbang Gabi". With an ample amount of an hour at hand, I moved quickly as I could to make it on time before the start of our "two-tier" mass services of the day. I went out still dark and the sun hasn't even shown the very tips of its rays.

We had two, tiring consecutive Mass services that day and some of us, including me were still sleepy and hungry after finishing the second service. Since it was still early and we doubted that our favorite resto/hangout (Hilario's Sizzlers) was still not open for business yet, we opted to go for a brief joyride to a nearby 24-hour eatery called Glyca's just across SM Valenzuela, along McArthur Highway, where they serve noodles, beef and fried rice. The perfect "pick-me-up"!

Then, the pack went back to my place for our weekly rehearsals followed by a short briefing about our upcoming Christmas Party and exchange-gifts activity. While meeting was still in effect, some of us are already starting to whisper amongst each other about an imminent visit to Greenhills for some shopping for gifts and a Buffet Dinner that will follow after...    

Cocoy, Mark, Oyet and I instantly signed in! It was a perfect opportunity for me to finish off my christmas chores to buy gifts for my godchildren at very reasonable prices! There were so many shoppers in Greenhills that day that you just rely on the steady stream of people to get you from point A to B. All the alleyways were packed! Lucky for us, we had only a few things to buy. But still, it was quite exhausting. A quick snack at Krispy Kreme for a little glycogen reload helped in boosting up our energy enough to get us out from this vast mob of shoppers. Glady followed and met us at Krispy Kreme.

After Greenhills, we headed straight to Saisaki Restaurant in Quezon City for our Ultimate Buffet Dinner.   

 (Japanese themed plate for Tito Oyet)

 (Mackoy, going for another helping of ice cream.)

My tummy felt like it would burst anytime but I'm pretty sure my companions felt the same way too. We spent almost two hours of eating, non-stop! The only break we get were quick trips to the bathroom and back to the bufftet area to get some more food! I had a good plate filled with my favorite Kare-kare and the other meals almost didn't matter to me anymore. My co-foodtrippers opted for fruits, Japanese food and sweets. 

It was such a tiring yet fun and gastronomic! And I would certainly do it all over again with them next time.☺