Housewarming Party with DSS Friends

This 2015, my main goal is to be able to complete all remaining works needed for my home.  Part of that goal is to celebrate the achievement in reaching my goal to own a house with friends who are dear to my heart.

While the condominium isn’t complete to my liking yet, I feel that it’s time to open it up to my friends.  First up, my dear colleagues from DSS group.  There’s no more DSS team in the company anymore but our friendship continued to stay strong through the years.

I had big dreams for the housewarming.  I wanted to do a four-course menu complete with drinks and decorations for the house.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to execute it with excellence.  I wasn’t able to manage the time well.  So when my friends came, they had to help me cook because I ran out of time!! haha!

Good thing Alvin is a talented cook and he was the one who helped prepare the sushi entree for us while we watch with amazement 🙂

FOOD MENU

The theme for the night is Japanese.

There is one blog that I frequent for Japanese food inspiration and that is Just One Cookbook.  That’s where I based all the recipes used during the housewarming.

While time wasn’t on my side, the original plan of 4-course meal still pushed through.  Only change is I had my guests help with the cooking.  It was a good first activity, nevertheless.  I’m so blessed to have such understanding & smart friends!

• Soup – Red Miso Soup

• Entree – Japanese Sushi

• Main Course – Baked Tonkatsu with Japanese Rice

• Drinks – Matcha Green Tea Smoothie

• Dessert – Green Tea Ice Cream

HOUSEWARMING ACTIVITY

The Japanese fever continued that night because the game that we played is Japanese-inspired — Takenoko!

Here is the official description from the Takenoko site:

A long time ago at the Japanese Imperial court, the Chinese Emperor offered a giant panda bear as a symbol of peace to the Japanese Emperor. Since then, the Japanese Emperor has entrusted his court members (the players) with the difficult task of caring for the animal by tending to his bamboo garden.

In Takenoko, the players will cultivate land plots, irrigate them, and grow one of the three species of bamboo (Green, Yellow, and Pink) with the help of the Imperial gardener to maintain this bamboo garden. They will have to bear with the immoderate hunger of this sacred animal for the juicy and tender bamboo. The player who manages his land plots best, growing the most bamboo while feeding the delicate appetite of the panda, will win the game.

It was all our first time to play so the game was like a trial game.  The next time we’ll play Takenoko, for sure we’ll be more competitive.

THE COMPANY

I’m blessed that I’m around extremely smart people.  Sometimes I feel that I do not belong to the group as I continue to be amazed with their leadership and talent.  I’m so happy to be celebrating the personal achievement of owning a home with Maus, Tim, Kristy and Alvin.  Thanks for being such great friends and company!

I will always be thankful to the Lord for blessing me with your friendship..

HOUSEWARMING GIFT

Takenoko was the group’s gift for my housewarming 🙂  I love collecting board games and Takenoko is the first of many games that my home will have for entertainment.  Yay!!  So cool! 

I feel so blessed and glad that the first housewarming party was a success!  It wasn’t perfect but it gave me a glimpse on how it is so important to really plan it well.  For my next housewarming party, I sure will take all the lessons with me and will make it a better one.

I would like to thank my DSS friends for a very very good night!  Let’s do this again!  Probably movie night soon!