Chinese Version
05-22-2022, Sunday, Very hot
As a self-employed wanderer, I had not attended any employer organized party since my 2016 retirement.
When one of my friends said to me: “Our department will hold a party on Saturday. Do you want to go?” I replied :”Yes, I would like to go.” I immediately recalled the parties held by eBay and Paypal when I was in Silicon Valley: the company big parties, the quarterly all hands parties, the celebration of the successful launch of major products, the parties in the Great America Amusement Park in California for employees and families, etc, the parties with delicious food and fun activities.
Last night’s party was called “DACCPM Spring Fling ”, a party with drinks of red wine, white wine, beers and cocktails, also with delicious foods such as 72-hour stewed pork rib and beef rib. After drinking three glasses of white wine at the party, I felt under the influence and happy.
I thought there would be ocean views but saw no trace of water on the balcony. However, I had a close look at the beautiful handsome, senior scholars and loving partners dressed up with professional attitudes. I also noticed that many ladies in dresses had bare feet, not wearing pantyhose; that men were dressed up from head to toe that nobody wore sneakers nor jeans. Recalling my experience of such parties in Silicon Valley, wearing jeans or sneakers seemed semi-formal dressing code and wearing T-shirts with words and logos was accepted too. I was glad that I didn’t bring my casual dressing code of Silicon Valley here. In dressing, doing as the Romans do is also a manifestation of pious life. At the party, I was also brought to shake hands with the head of DACCPM, a young and tall middle-aged man.
I saw lots of beauties at the party and the most memorable one was the back of a straight black hair young lady who wore a long black floor-length dress and who had a pair of sneakers under her right arm. I felt her capable, confident, and beauty and took a photo of her back figure.
I also bumped into a born-in-90′s couple of exchange scholars from Peking Union Medical College Hospital. While chatting with them, I learnt the girl is from Chongqing and the boy is from Shandong; they were classmates in college and in graduate school; while she was at Chengdu West China Medical College for three years, he was at Beijing Union Medical College, so they were apart for three years in the past; now they came to MGH together for just over two months. I was really proud of their parents and couldn’t help taking a photo of them and told them: “Please send the photo to your parents, I am sure they will be very happy from it.”
Three or four days before the party, My daughter and I chatted about going to the party. As a software engineer who worked in Silicon Valley for almost 20 years, I thought it would be more natural to dress casually. However, my daughter encouraged me to spend some time preparing for the party. She said that the process of preparing for the party would also be joyful. In retrospect, really, the preparation process before the party has a lot of sweet memories.
When I told my daughter: “I was invited a department party, what should I wear?” She asked: “What do you like to wear?” I said: “a floral dress.” We went to the store together to pick up a dress and a pair of shoes. While lining up for checkout, I was lost as I forgot the checking out routine in a store. She reminded me to go to the counter with a flashing light and joked: “Poor mommy hasn’t bought any clothes for a very long time now.”
As I wanted to buy a small purse for my photo so I can take photos at the party, I asked my daughter before I went shopping: “What kind of purse should I buy for my phone?” She gave me a firm instruction: “Buy a pure black very simple purse.” I took her instruction seriously and looked at all the black purses in the store and bought a black purse with roses and a line of text. After coming back home, I explained my choice of this purse: “This purse has one of my favorite quotes: ‘Stop and smell the roses’. Although it is not pure black, it is a black purse.”. My daughter looked at the purse I handed over to her and praised it: “it’s very cute and chic, nice pick!” Hearing this made me very happy like a student being praised by the teacher.
My daughter also helped me to make my hair and choose accessories. One day, she asked me, “How do you comb your hair for the party?” I said, “Just wear two braids.” She disapproved: “It would be nicer to tie your hair up in a bun.” I said: “My hair is thick and strong, it would be hard to tie it up.” “We have the same hair. I used to bun up my hair when I attended Speech and Debate in high school. I’ll do it for you. Don’t worry.” She also lent me her pearl necklace and a very expensive black scarf with small flowers that she bought in Germany and said, “Wearing a pearl necklace looks good. You are always afraid of the cold. If the air conditioner is too cold, wearing this scarf will make you look good and keep you warm”. I have two rings, one is the emerald ring my mother gave me, and the other is the pearl ring my daughter gave me. The pearl on the ring was taken out of the shell by my daughter, so it is very special. My daughter suggested that I wear a pearl ring: “Green doesn’t match your outfit, and the pearl ring matches the pearl necklace, this way your outfit is clean in black and white.” Before stepping out of the house, I asked my daughter the last thing: “Should I use lipstick?” My daughter shook her head: “No. It would be too much for you.”
Little Episodes
1。 DACCPM
“The Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine (DACCPM) at Massachusetts General Hospital offers world-class patient care, the finest education for medical students and residents, innovative research laboratories and a team of accomplished faculty. Each year, we provide anesthesia services for more than 50,000 procedures in 67 operating rooms and 25 additional locations on the Mass General campus.
Our research activities are driven by an outstanding faculty of independent thinkers and cover a wide range of initiatives, including leading-edge investigations in critical care medicine, neurosciences, biomedical engineering, patient safety and simulation. Mass General conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of $1 billion.”
2. Photos of the party:
My little cute purse:
After drinking three glasses of white wine at the party, I felt under the influence and happy：
View from the balcony of DACCPM Spring Fling:
Photo combo on the party:
The back figure of the beauty with a pair of sneaker under her right arm：
