An' all the witches tae be seen
Some in black an' some in green
Hey! Ho! for Hallowe'en."
I made these glass jar luminaries last Halloween.
But the luminaries were unfortunately stolen this year, from my Battletank on Halloween Day itself. I had left the Battletank parked and locked for 15 minutes while I went into the supermarket to buy supplies for the two Halloween parties I was attending, and when I came out, the lock was broken and my backpack and box of Halloween decorations and party stuff were gone.
It was a long night of lodging police reports, getting the locks and housekeys changed and getting important things replaced or reported missing. I don't know what the thieves wanted my Halloween luminaries for but I am really disappointed they were stolen.
Anyway, I decided not to let it ruin my mood and we proceeded with the Halloween parties on Friday (Nov 1). I'm not going to let a lowlife burglar undermine my happiness or how I feel about Halloween. He will never be anything but a common criminal living in constant fear of being caught. Things can be replaced and I will be more careful about where I park and what I leave in the car in future.
My friends requested my fiesta taco salad as usual so I made this vegetarian version using taco beans, avocado, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, capsicum, olives, sour cream and salsa and topped up with a 'dirt' surface of crushed nacho chips. I added Halloween cupcake picks and zombie finger puppets because I didn't have the time to cut out and bake tortilla tombstones this round. The whole tub was polished clean within minutes.
Office Halloween party in the office with my workmates.
A colleague brought these too-cute-to-be-creepy cupcakes.
Another colleague baked these realistic severed fingers, which incidentally made great coffee stirrers.
Made my way to the SPCA office after work for a party with the SPCA gang. You know you're in for a great time when you attend a party where the guests are vets, animal rescuers, SPCA inspectors and animal welfare officers. Everyone needs to kick back and let their hair down regularly. We work hard and play hard.
Umm, it's not the keyhole spaying procedure the vet and vet-to-be are performing there. They are carving capsicum luminaries because you can't make them ahead of time. They rot and fall apart too quickly in this weather. The capsicums, I mean. Not the vets. Vets are tough as nails and never fall apart.
Puking Pumpkin says: "I don't feel so good." Huuurrrrl. (Spiced guacamole was yum, though. Great with chips and assorted crackers.)
Naughty, naughty sweets. No tricks, just treats.
Two of my best friends -- Nicole and Amanda -- came dressed as cats.
Aravind as the protagonist of "V for Vendetta" and me as a cowboy.
Spooked to meet you!
Pyo as Wednesday Addams and Nathan as a mime (he had taken off his mask and hat by the time the photo was taken).
Two random scary dudes in flip-flops and bearing dangerous weapons. This is who takes your calls at the SPCA, people!
Kelvin set up the LCD projector and we watched "Insidious" in the darkened SPCA conference room after dinner. "The Conjuring" would have been scarier but I didn't bring a change of pants. ;)
The party came to an end sometime around midnight. Funny how our Christian and Jewish friends in the West have so many hangups about Halloween, but we Asians aren't in the least bothered about the theological and moral arguments against observing Halloween. Any excuse for a party with friends and heaps of food is a good one. And this is why we will always continue to anticipate Halloween with excitement and joy -- because it will always be a celebration of creativity, friendship, feasting, sharing and fun.
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