Red Carpet Redux : The End of the Beginning

Red Carpet Redux : The End of the Beginning

Hello, my pretties. I’m too lazy to say anything at this point, but here’s my write-up for the annual ball. Enjoy, at length.
------------------------------------------
On Thursday, April 7th, 2005, the Shangri-La hotel played host to The Red Carpet, the Department of Business Studies annual ball, organized by the BIZ Council. All those who attended the event were dressed up to the fullest, following the theme of the evening. From the beginning, it already looked to be the night of glitz and glamour that was promised! Over 250 guests attended the event, and among them were notable personalities from Ogilvy, KPMG and the CPA. Also in attendance was Miss Gillian Hung, a renowned Malaysian fashion designer and style guru, who also acted as the evening’s Best Dressed Competition judge. She was already busy scouting for those who would eventually be narrowed down as finalists for the competition before the ballroom opened its doors!

The Red Carpet started off with a bang, as confetti fell to officially open the event, and following that, speeches from Mr. Ian Tai, the President of the BIZ Council, Dr. Khong Kim Hoong, Academic Director of HELP University College and Mr. Stephen Frasier of Ogilvy were made. The BIZ Council Retrospective, a presentation offering a look back at previous BIZ Council events was then made, as The Red Carpet was the latest in seven years’ worth of activities.

Dinner was then served, and much to the delight of the guests, two of HELP Idol’s finalists were performing. Shazlyana Shahroldin, the reigning HELP Idol, was featured first with her rendition of Alicia Keys “If I Ain’t Got You”. Her performance echoed throughout the hall, and the audience were captivated by her powerful voice. She was then joined by Justin Bae, HELP Idol’s 4th-placed Korean finalist, for a duet. Their rendition of “One Fine Day” brought the house down, and their powerful vocals brought life to the song. Justin then took to the stage alone, and entertained the guests in a different way…with a Korean song!

Following the performances from the younger entertainers, a new set of entertainers took over, all of them familiar to the students of the Department of Business Studies. Dubbed the “Three Legged Cat” band (“three legged” in Cantonese meaning ‘incompetent’), the group, comprising of three lecturers, performed Shangai Beach and other evergreen songs to keep the crowd entertained. Mr. Yap Fu Chu, Mr. David Ng and Miss Chitra will always be remembered for their efforts in pleasing the audience!

The first round of prize-giving came next, whereby the audience had to answer questions asked by Jayrem and Prem, both of Hitz Fm, the emcees of the evening. Questions such as naming lecturers with surnames starting with “L” as well as identifying sponsors of the event were answered by students, while the lecturers were asked a question, with the most creative answer walking away with the prize.

What followed next was a fashion show, with clothes sponsored by Key Ng. The clothes were “cyber” and futuristic in nature, and looked good on the models, all of whom had received some key points to modeling from Miss Gillian Hung in preparations for the event. It should be noted that the models were all students of HELP University College, and they had trained tirelessly to make their fashion show a success.

The highlight of the evening had to be the lecturer and staff performance, Walking Down The Red Carpet. A series of silent skits were combined to create a special performance. Mr. Ravi and Miss Chitra were parading themselves in a mock fashion show, Ms. Lena Choong played a psychotic lover while Mr. David Ng played her unsuspecting partner, Mr. Yap Fu Chu and Mr. Kishen Adnani played a couple of cool guys while Dr. Lim Teh Eng was a modern-day James Bond, complete with his very own Bond Girls. This truly unique performance brought the audience to their feet, and it was enjoyed immensely by everyone.

After that, a special birthday cake was presented, with the birthday belonging to none other than HELP University College itself. All the VIPs were invited to pour drinks onto a champagne pyramid, and Dr. Khong led the audience in giving a hearty “Yam Seng” toast.

Up next was the presentation of the Best Dressed Finalists, where the audience cheered for whom they felt deserved to win the most. The lucky winners were Maryann Lee Mathew, in her long, golden gown, as well as Ragu, who epitomized a blend between fashion and glamour, and they both walked away with brand new DVD players each, amongst other prizes.

The lucky draw was up next, and the audience received another opportunity to win some unique prizes, such as Secure Parking vouchers and a trip to Langkawi for two.

The last event of the evening was a surprise, as the presidents and some members of the three core societies of the Department of Business Studies gave a dance performance of the song “YMCA”. The BIZ Council, Accounting Club and Young Entrepreneurs Club joined together to give a hilarious closing to The Red Carpet.
------------------------------------------
Voila. That's all.