Yesterday's entry pretty much summed up my day - apart from the marketing brainstorming session we had before lunch - Friday was not a very productive day for me in the office. We broke at 4:30pm or so and did our Secret Santa gifts. For anyone who doesn't know, Secret Santa is where you draw a name and buy that person a gift anonymously. In our workplace, the budget is $5 and you're expected to write a poem or story about the person. There is actually a lot of work involved in Secret Santa, if it's done right, and it's nearly always humourous based about something you've done, or do, or say - making it quite personal.

The highlight of our Secret Santa last night was the final gift to be presented. Rosie had drawn Marshall's name and had been thinking of all sorts of things she could do but came up with the perfect plan the day before, and made him a set of flags and a flag holder that stood on his desk. Marshall is all about "raising flags" and so the green, yellow and red flags made from corrugated card and pencils made him laugh and he was so pleased to receive it. Funny sidebar was that a couple of people there who believed it was a 'purchased' gift and that somehow made things even funnier. I'll try to remember to grab a photograph of them on Monday so you can see how clever Ms Rosie is.

After the giggling and the opening of gifts, we meandered downstairs to a prearranged "nibbles and wine" at r'ce. Seated at a long bar/table we were treated to the most wonderful food - snapper in lime and chillies, aubergine dumplings, tempura squid - it was so delicious and wonderful to eat with chopsticks and sip champagne. Everyone was chattering about all sorts of things, Marshall and Rosie and I were at one end of the table and chit chatted about a couple of things then "drilled down into work" our favourite subject. Chris came in for a drink and I was pleased to see him, mostly because I usually am but partly because it intrigued my boss somewhat that a man had joined our party who was not of our party and appeared to be with me. She asked Rosie if he was my partner, and I think I remember Rosie saying "no, only on a casual basis" which was pretty funny.

Everyone left for ferries and homes. Chris and Duana and I saw Rosie up to the bus stop and then we three toodled down to the Provodore for more wine and 80s music. We tried to turn the barman into a frog and failed (we were fairywinged and wand'd) so bought him a shot instead. Drinking sparkling wine and singing madly, the evening was really good. Chris left Du and I to wait out the last 20 minutes to our respective Ferries and we yelled fond farewells across the wharves. I took my fairy back to Pakuranga and walked the 45 minutes, drunked (well.. tiddly drunked not driving) with hiccups to Gregs place and slept here (where i'm blogging from) the night. My car is still in town and I'll go back in to pick it up as soon as Greg gets home from work.

I had a really nice time last night.

Now if I could just manage toast without burning it that would be great.
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