By Arthur & Sam

[Arthur] An idle chat over dinner one evening in September with Sam, Ken and Ming gave birth to the idea of a costume party. This was how the four of us ended up being organizers for this event, unfortunately depriving us of any potential prizes we planned to give out for outstanding costumes.

On the day itself, after the Saturday service, a few of us went straight to Clarence's place to help set up. Ming appeared with his huge Mac make-up kit, which totally put my tiny Estee Lauder kit to shame. By 8 pm, more than half of those who promised to turn up had arrived; the rest made their grand entrance later.

Everybody brought food and drink for the potluck party, resulting in an overflowing dining table, and overflowing bellies for some of us. But food, as important as it was, humbly ranked second that night. What was really was on everybody's mind was the various costumes that made their glamorous appearances. Yes, it was a costume party, after all.

This was quite a perfect event to test everybody's creativity. Surprisingly, there were no mascots, a common sight in most costume parties. Instead, some of us made our own costumes.

Among the contenders for Most Original Costume were Sister Wei from the Order of the Perpetual Glamour, who sewed his own head gear, complete with a long pearl necklace, Eric who made his own Dark Angel mask and wings (though the shorts left much to be desired), Jason who appeared as a bridesmaid to the Bride Leroy, who sewed his very own wedding gown, spent many hours prancing in front of the mirror, and eventually pranced away with the award.

Of course, there were also some of us who chose to go commercial. Among those who rented their costumes, we had a Sailor Moon, a Roman Angel, Wednesday and Pugsley from Addams Family, Japanese geishas, and many more.

What was so special about this party, apart from the fantastic costumes and food, was that we were sporting enough to either rent or make our costumes, in spite of busy schedules and the ongoing economic recession. For the few who turned up without costumes, it is after all, your presence we seek, so don't worry—costumes are secondary. Just like any other Safehaven parties, precious bonds have been formed. Through time, I believe that God is able to make use of these bonds and bring us closer to one another in fellowship and in unity with our Lord. This may just be another reason or excuse, whichever you choose, to plan for a Mardi Gras here next March. Who knows?

[Sam] First, a HUGE thank you to all that came, either dressed up in costume or not. Friends brought their friends, and it was a blast! Your presence made the party very much alive.

Thanks also for bringing so much food. As usual, there was way too much, but no one is complaining. There was quiche, fried rice, fried noodles, beehoon, paella, apple strudel, fruit cake, chicken, a stuffed duck, mushrooms in cream sauce, Beijing dumplings, rojak, roast pork, char siew, sushi, buns, fried youtiao, and much more.

Special mention for food goes to Jo (Jorg's partner) who baked this divine, to-die-for cheesecake, Ken who cooked his stuffed duck, and Cyrus for his curry! All yums! Thanks Clarence for the three bottles of wine, all gone!

To those that made the effort to come in costume, THANK YOU! The myriad costumes were a blast! As promised, we awarded prizes for the best costumes, and they are:

1) Sean: Greek God (Best Costume)

We wanted someone whose outfit was the most complete, which means, headgear/wig, outfit (top and bottom), etc. There were a few contenders. Sean's toga outfit thingy was complete with wings and a head wreath, Greek bracelets (sorry, forgot the word). Other names were mentioned, but theirs weren't as complete as Sean's.

2) Leroy: Bride (Most Original Costume)

He made the outfit himself, sewing it for hours, and basically blew the competition away. This was a no-contest.

3) Jorg & Jo: Japanese Geishas (Best Duo/Group)

Their rented outfits were fantastic! With their white-painted faces, fans, kimonos, and wooden clogs, they looked absolutely authentic.

4) Alan (grapevine): Wednesday from Addams Family (Best Male Female)

The ultimate drag prize went to this sporting fella who made his top, got the scary wig, make-up, doll (actually Owen's bear), and basically REALLY looked like Wednesday Addams.

All winners received $20 Borders vouchers, complimentary of Joshua and Clarence. The judges comprised Sean, Ken, Arthur, Chee Meng, & Sam.

The rest of the honour roll, who didn't win prizes but were utterly fabulous too:

Arthur: Sailor Moon
Ken: Accident Victim
Daniel (Purim): Friar Tuck
Wei: Nun (made own habit)
Eric (Grapevine): Black Angel (made his own wings, mask and top)
Jason (Safehands): Bridesmaid
Cyrus and Rick: Bridegroom and Best Man respectively
Douglas: Pugsley from the Addams Family
Alphonsus: VJC student
Dan's friend Rachel: CHIJ student
Bryan & Chee Meng: Punjabi outfits
Gilbert & Dexter: Shanghai Tang outfits
Joshua: Shanghai Tang outfit
Ming: Punk Rock outfit
Debbie: Snow White
Ken's friend, Crispian: Ku Klux Klan
Andrew (Newwine): Castrol Serviceman (complete with stained overalls)
Danny: Japanese punk
Issac, Koji, Koichiro (Issac's friends): Japanese "Samurai" outfits
Issac's friend, Phin: Gothic outfit
Aden: Chinese Scholar
Sam: French Sailor

As you can see, 30 people came in their costumes, so you can imagine.... The CHAOS! The SCREAMS OF LAUGHTER! The BLACKMAIL PHOTOS, digital or otherwise! For those I left out of the above list because of bimosity or sheer forgetfulness, please pardon.

To those who came dressed in costume, especially those who had the courage to come in drag, thanks, you guys. You have been very sporting, and you certainly brought the house down. We ended at about midnight, after clearing up, but we suspect there might be surprise finds for Jason and Clarence.

Finally, we took off for coffee at the Indian coffeeshop and traded interesting stories of what happened at the party. Till next year's costume party, and yes, Clarence is right, Safehaven parties are very fun!