For around 10 years now, our Embassy in Canberra has staged its own version of Paskombalong, creatively titled Pasko sa Canberra. They traditionally invite people from Sydney and beyond to come on over and enjoy the festivities, and this year it was my turn to represent the Consulate. An opportunity to take part in a big barrio fiesta without the stressponsibility of organizing it? I'm there! And with my barriometrics!
Size Matters?
The event's held on the Embassy's sprawling grounds, which turns out to be just the right size for everything. 2,000 people on hand made for a genuinely buzzy, festive atmosphere, but the place was roomy enough to prevent any claustro-mosh pit feel. (the Embassy compound is in fact so spacious kangaroos are known to sometimes wander through the grounds and skip into the adjacent diplomatic quarter which i'm sure has prompted it's share of jump-the-queue/appointment system jokes.)
BBQi
Oh they had this well covered. And it wasn't just the bar-b-q smoke that was appetizingly wafting through the air. There was a slew of Pinoy desserts, dishes and delicacies here that even Paskombalong didn't have (such as San Miguel sampler packs!)
Bring the Kids
Obviously there's no playground on Embassy premises and I presume travelling funfairs can't set up shop on diplomatic soil either, but Pasko did have a kid-centric and kid-friendly program to keep the young ones engaged and entertained. And you could always step out and take an educational tour around Canberra and its neighboring farm towns. Indeed, there is nothing more exciting to a child than a field trip of the Capital and a visit to a very big sheep statue. (citation needed)
Fabuloos
A bit of a cheat here because as Embassy guests we had access to the building's bathrooms and didn't really get to see what kind of portaloo setup the fiesta had outside. I can't imagine they had cute Filipiniana displays there like they had inside, but I'm sure they were still very nice. Moving on.
Fringe Benefits
Welllllll.....there was a number by a local dance studio that was...unexpected. It was pure joy and genuinely fun, and as someone from the Embassy put it "akala n'yo buhay probinsya dito sa Canberra, 'no!"
Star Grazing
No celebrities around as far as I could tell, unless you count local politicians and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Oh, and nemesis CRANIAL AGAIN was forced into emcee-ing duties, broke out moviestar/mayor shades, and joined a line dance that made me feel good about my chances in our upcoming K-Pop Boyband showdown.
So overall...10/10 Pasko sa Canberra!
(and I'm not just saying that because the Consulate answers to the Embassy and their rating determines our Christmas bonus)
No comments:
Post a Comment