12-05-10; Sunday -- Decided the paper-quilling idea might be too risky and time-consuming, and settled on a mask curtain to work within the time and resources available at the moment. James reinforced the mask curtain idea, and calmed me down every time I went haywire and anxious. Bought the materials; had forgotten how jam-packed crazy malls can be in December. 

 12-06-10; Monday -- Received word from HR -- we finally have great ceiling swags for the venue! Prettier venue, and sort-of less work for me. Was given the Go signal to bring the materials to the office and start working in one of the small meeting rooms. 

12-07-10; Tuesday -- Hauled materials to the office. Working space was a cute little meeting room called Boracay. Bright, quiet, private, and verrrrrry cold. Happily spent most of my break time there; much more thankful for long stretches of lesson-free hours and curious company.

Very, very thankful too for good friends who were very happy to help out and see projects like these as play-time. Great conversation and tips and giggles made the work lighter. Days in the sun are reserved for people like these. 

Painting time felt very much like happy, light kindergarten days. I like remembering it that way. 

Boss Cindy also came over to check on us -- Jiselle, AJ, and I. She said, "Wow! That really looks like a lot of fun." "We're playing," I reply. "Want to join?" She looks longingly at the mess of paints and brushes and glue and glitter and sequins, then back to her office, then back to us, then back to the office, and very bravely says, "Um... just like kids say: I need to study, eh." :( Aaaw, boss. Would've been great if she could have sneaked out for a few minutes to paint with us, though. :)

Jiselle, AJ, and I decided to call it a day at 6:am. Still had lessons to give at 4:00pm the same day, after all.

12-08-10; Wednesday --  Rinse, and repeat. Came to work, gave lessons, retreated to Boracay for quiet painting and gluing. Jiselle was on holiday, and AJ popped in every now and then to paint when I was away. Managed to loop another co-worker, JV, into our fun mess. He gave about three or four of the masks a grand Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso treatment. Aj joined in after her lessons; great conversation and laughs ensue. Went home at 6:00am again. 

12-09-10; Thursday -- Forgot it was a Thursday,and realized waaaay later that painting and decorating the masks was about 90% done. Ergo, no need to get in a tizzy. Was thankful Olive, one of our training admin., offered to paint some of the masks during her free time. I found it a cheerful thing to share some happiness in painting the masks for fun with her.  Managed to go home and rest up for the first time in a long while.

 

12-10-10; Friday -- Day before the big day. Rushed to the office at 10:00am so Rosie from our HR Department and I could pick up the tarpaulin backdrop for the stage, and finally decide and prep the areas to decorate. Did our best to grab some shut-eye in the company van. Arrived on-site. The ceiling swags were set up; the hanging crystals and the sweeping cloth was gorgeous. Rosie and I decided with a ceiling like this, it'd be best if we invested the masks as a wall, and maybe a line to frame one side of the slideshow projection. After a quick lunch, we set to work setting up the nylon threads. Am very thankful Rosie is used to heights on a ladder. She told me she used to be a cheerleader in high school and college.I think that's neat.

Light of Love truly is an amazing place. the walkways, the manicured hedges, abundance of trees, greenery, and quiet pleasantness provided a welcome retreat from the hubbub of the city. The lamp lights made me catch my breath, and everything else followed suit. I couldn't help but think to myself: this would be a perfect site for a photo shoot of my gothic lolita line. Well, one day.

Just to give you an idea, here's a quick view of what the venue really looked like. Featured in the photos will be Miss Rosie, ever-chic, can-do, and making our HR the awesome department it is: 

12-11-10; Saturday -- James and I retired as soon as we could to face the long night ahead of us. We packed our party clothes and our masks, managed to put some food into ourselves, and hied off to Eastwood to catch the earliest shuttle trip to the venue. James put up with quite a lot with me around; I can be such a terrible klutz at times, but I am so thankful for his constant support and encouragement. 

We arrived in good time, and found unexpected changes in the floor plan. No matter, we could easily adapt and find ways around it. we taped up on the remaining nylon threads, as well as decorated the beer station and the air-conditioners. this meant me climbing on seats, running around, and squeezing into crannies, and James patiently tearing tape, sticking them onto the masks, peeling off the backing, and handing mask after mask to me as I needed.We managed to finish all 77 masks -- 77! Soon as we were done, we left to freshen up and dress for the event. 

Our job was done, and all we needed to do now was kick back, and enjoy the rest of the night. The wall could fend for itself, and well, it's up. Best be happy with what we could do. ^_^* 

 Looking back, I find a part of me wishing I could've done more. Made prettier or more elaborate masks; cover the walls with them, maybe even have the staff wear smaller versions. Anything. Everything, just better. At the end of the day, I guess the most important thing really is that everyone at the party had fun. If they admired the wall or thought it'd make a great backdrop, or even nicked a few of the masks to take home as souvenirs, great! That's icing on the cake for me, and I am grateful for that kind of appreciation. If not, ah well, that's that. I'm just grateful to have accomplished what I was tasked to do, and do it as best I could. 

 My heart and thanks go out to dear friends who have lent their time, creativity, hands, ears and what-have-you to the conclusion of this project. Thanks to them, I was saved from frayed nerves, anxiety attacks, and fainting, and am still here typing away at this post. My thanks go out to our HR department and Boss Cindy for being so supportive and encouraging to the very end. 

In the end, that's that. This is a first, I think. Maybe not the first in many assignments, or maybe yes, but definitely a first. It's alright, I guess. ^_^*