Rotaract Installation - Egyptian Aura

Rotaract Club installations are always highlights on the school social calendar...but of course, "school social calendar"'s an oxymoron. Oh well. Rotaract is a pretty active little beehive of community service - you can tell us apart by the halos circling our heads - having done 5 major good works last semester, barely 2 months after our Board's installation...and we felt it was time to paaaartaaay.

TIME STAMP: 2PM Holiday Villa Subang Jaya was trampled flat by 30 students in varying degrees of flashy clothing - some with flashy dance moves to boot. Five students (I shall REFRAIN from calling us, legal adults, "students" from now), a little on the glum side, were transporting what looked like...a coffin. Commissioned by Nicholas, Jhuen Ri, Punithaa and team, it is still one of the architectural wonders of our fledgling college. If anyone detected the faint whiff of turmeric powder in the ballroom...well, you see, we ran out of paint, so...'Nuff much said.

TIME STAMP: 3PM To ominous, Egyptian music, a mummy staggered out of the coffin, tore off his face wrapping to reveal poor Nath...and co-emceed with Nat. Nat Senior and Nat Junior, anyone? Or Nat Dashing and Nat Pretty? (Editor: That's enough ass-wiping for a day. Save your extravagance for Avinder.) Oooh...Avinder, President-Elect, dazzled in a (rumoured to be) custom tailored Cleopatra outfit...while on the male front, Sit showed up as an Arab sheikh. Needless to say, both bagged the Best Costume award...only to hand it over to Mrs Foord and a Rotaract Club of Bangsar rep.

Speeches, the bane of the idyllic teenage existence, was followed by a video - an outrageous distortion of the Board's roles...all members were given a sinister twist, the storyboard revolving round the abuse (and abusers) of Egyptian pyramid workers. You'd have thought, working in what was then the tallest building in the world, there'd be some benefits. Oh well, the view comes with a price.

Avinder, new President, was installed by Belinda, outgoing President, in a ceremony steeped with tradition - the regalia solemnly placed round her neck, and a complimentary hug. When t was Avin's turn to install US board members, she passed on the favour. Mmm. Nath and Nat were, as usual, resplendent in delivery, considering Nat had had barely an hour of preparation.

Later...the high tea...a distinctly aquatic touch. A quantity of (admittedly heavenly) cakes sufficient to feed a small Pacific island state was carted off thirteen to the dozen even before the poor diarist had had time to sample one. THEN the games. Oooh, these juniors are GOOD. Punithaa and Jhuen Ri led a limbo, won handily by our own SNOOPY!!! while Hannah and Dickson took a game of charades to...highly insane levels. Top of the guffaw list was Kenrick, and later with Aaron's gamely help, acting "porn star". The casual shirt act was just priceless.

Interspersed were Junior and Senior performances..the Seniors going all cosmopolitan, one spirited Jive and a Bhangra capped by Avin and YC's gorgeous salsa steps. The Juniors had their fair share of teary eyed surprises, one "Kau Ilhamku" - is there a college policy it has to be played at college events? - followed by the girls raising the mercury of the dancefloor with a hot, hot number.

Last game...dancing. This time, schadenfraude. Couples were dragged out to dance, often with calamitous results (to them) - who can forget Mr Dant vainly trying to "Shake That Thang" with a bemused Jollivet? Or the Beadsworths frolicking around to "All The Things She Said?"

Then, we have the farewells, and while telephone numbers were exchanged and subsequent secret date locations surreptitiously scribbled on the back of Post-It Notes, the hotel staff discreetly took the decor apart and dimmed the lights.

But nothing could dim the radiance on Avin and Jollivet's face on a job well done...and well attended.