Party for Papa @ Red Box, Pavilion KL

" The more you praise and celebrate life, the more there is to celebrate in life " - Oprah Winfrey

24th October '08 is a marked date in the calender, and in my heart. It is the day my Papa turned 50 years old. As a child, or specifically a son, i am grateful to have a Papa like him. More than words, he is the best Papa i have ever known in this world. We celebrated his birthday in Red Box, Pavilion on the night itself, and i can bet you, it was a night to remember and a night never to forget, with full loads of laughter and joy, fun and excitement.

I was back home by 3.30pm, thanks to my father. The excitement for the night grew more and more as the time ticked. I prepared myself early and readied some materials to be used later in the night. The excitement became unbearable. We were all up and about at 5.45pm and soon headed our way to Pavilion, KL. Unfortunately, as usually a Friday will, traffic was heavy and we were stalled for quite some time at the junction in the middle of our way. Patiently but excitedly, we waited. As we crossed the junction, the road was clear and we reached safely to our destination. By then, it was already 6.30pm. We hurried to the Red Box, first to arrive and began preparing for the BIG night.

All guests were requested to signature on this shirt. Don't you think it looks nice with all the printed signatures?

We were there slightly off schedule but it was still early, and we prepared the place, the laptop and some other materials crucial for the night, and had our dinner ahead of others. The program was supposed to start at 8 pm but it was delayed to nearly 10 pm due to the heavy traffic in KL. Oh well, it's KL for sure! Without further delay, the night turned young once again as we, all of us present, shifted our heads to my Papa. The 'Party for Papa'.

I hosted the incredible event.

My mum made a heartwarming 'welcome speech' to all the guests and thanked them for taking their precious time to spend with my Papa. My sister represented us (my two younger brothers and i) to give a wholesome and touching speech about my Papa.

My sister is ready to give her speech.

After the speeches, it was time for the 'pictures presentation' which we had done it without my Papa's knowledge, and i did it during my mid-sem break (no wonder i was busy). In fact, all the programs lined up were without his knowledge. It was to be a surprise! I have played the montage over and over again and i can tell you that each time i see it, it brings a sense and a feeling that i can't express in words- you just get that feel.

A part of the 6-minute presentation.

After the 'pictures presentation', my Papa took the stage and gave his speech- i knew at that moment, everyone wants to hear from him. It was brief, but it was brilliant. After his speech, the 'princess' and the '3 princes' dedicated 'My Wish' by Rascal Flatts to their 'King' and sung with full of emotion. After the song, my uncles and aunties gave a toast to my Papa... And cheers! The night became young again, and soon, the night got more and more exciting.

We were singing as a family at the end of the song.

Cheers for us!

After the emo part, we moved on to play the game. The game was called 'Pair Em Up: Mix and Match'. It was sort of like a memory game, where we pair two identical objects. In this game, the 'object' are referred to as body poses.

Me explaining the rules and regulations of the game.

Only 10 seconds to identify the similar poses. Can you spot them?

Our player, Aunt Karen, paired them correctly. I wished we could have more time for Round Two- time was short. Anyway, thanks to those who participated!

After the game, we made way for the ladies to storm the stage. They certainly created the mood for a dance with 'Grease Lightning'.

The aunties wowed the crowd. Well done!

Following right after the aunties' performance was the uncles' performance. They called themselves the 'Dancing Kings'. Their performance was a show-stopper and totally hilarious. They really know how to make fun, of the opposite sex. Due to some reasons, i have decided not to post any of the photographs as they may seem inappropriate.

Cake-cutting ceremony! I brought in the cake and we sang the birthday song. As always, the cake cutting ceremony is always accompanied by a photography session. And yes, we did. Lots and lots of them with the birthday boy!

Picture perfect.

My Papa with all the teenagers, young adults and kids- cousins, childhood friends...

While waiting for the cake to be cut and distributed, we started the second game, that is, the 'Sumo Struggle'. The aim of this game is to burst a middle-sized balloon using only the belly. It is a pair game, initially for couples only but we decided to make it more interesting and opened it to all ages. The players needed to blow up their own balloon and burst it.

After the game ended, the slices of cakes were distributed. That officially marked the end of the programs for the night. My Papa was soon to be 50 years and 1 day old. However, that did not mean it was time to leave. The night was still young and it was a free-flow of karaoke until 3 am, and we partied. We sang from our lungs and danced to the beat.

Dance and sing.

By 2 am, we could feel our throat sore and our feet numb. One by one, we left Red Box, with a broad smile and a wonderful heart. My Papa was most certainly feeling all the joy in the world. Apart from him, we too had a fantastic time. Thank you all for helping us, my family, make my Papa's Party for Papa a blast!

wc08 is happy everything turned out the way it should be, and everyone, certainly he, had enjoyed the night!