Some people say that the way you start a new year will foreshadow what you can expect for the rest. For me, I hope this isn't the case. Last night was probably the most bipolar evening I have ever had in my life.
For those of you that have seen The Hangover, I can honestly say that last night was probably a remake of that movie (minus Mike Tyson's tiger in the bathroom haha)
I had spent my whole day off on Wednesday organizing this event, and I don't think that anyone was excited as me to make it happen. I booked a fantastic room (two double beds, full kitchen, flat screen TV, balcony, etc.) at the highly rated L'Appartement Hotel located on Sherbrooke Street. It was as soon as I checked in that the problems started to happen...
Like I said earlier, we were supposed to have one room with two beds. Turns out that reservations got extended, and the hotel could no longer provide us with that reservation. Instead, we were offered two rooms (one room apart)and free parking. At first, I was ready to jump the counter and complain, but in the end it turned out okay. Sure, we didn't all sleep in the same room but we had more space and made the best of it.
While Kay, James and I waited for Alex, Mandy, Caro and Shana to arrive, we took a tour of the amazing roof-top pool and I got the chance to snap some postcard worthy pictures of the city skyline. Then, I cooked a scrumptious dinner of tortellini, Caesar salad and potatoes. It definitely comes in handy to have a kitchen!
The time zoomed by, and before we knew it, we were rushing around between both hotel rooms getting ready to go out. Hairspray clouds filled the air, drinks were being made, everyone was looking "fo-feshional", I ran around taking pictures like a tourist, laughter was the common method of communication, and life was good. Also, our conversations on the balcony were epic, especially when they involve discussing high-heeled footwear with strangers.
We bought tickets to go to Ivy (which we later on realized replaced Orchid) nightclub, which was celebrating their grand-opening just in time for NYE. We arrived at the club at around 10:45pm, just in time to be given a New Year's Eve crown and to enjoy the presence of the cute bartender. Before we knew it... we were dancing in front of the bar, counting down the minutes to the big moment.
Three... two... one... Happy New Year!
It was surreal. The happy-vibes between us was nothing like I have ever experienced. We looked, the way we felt: euphoric.
I was being hugged from every angle, and I couldn't think of a better way to ring in the new year than with some of your best friends by your side as the DJ spins "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas.
Then, even though we were all looking our best... the night got ugly.
Prayers to the Toilet-Bowl-Gods were being made by two people, and by 1:15am I was in a cab (thanks to James who caught me when I almost fell in the middle of the street. Ice + Heels = NOT cool)back to the hotel to take care of my favorite person. There is nothing classier than lying on ceramic tiled floor, on your friend to keep them warm while in a dress.
Finally at about 4am we made it to bed, only to be woken up by a blaring noise. Yep, the fire alarm was going off. I stayed in bed hoping that it would stop ringing, but it didn't. The whole hotel, all 16 floors had to evacuate using the emergency exits; it was mass hysteria... Especially for Alex who couldn't find his shoes, and Caro who insisted on taking the blanket outside with her.
Once back in the hotel, we all crawled back into our still-warm beds. Alex decided to go back downstairs for a brief moment to apologize for his rudeness (he was quite upset when the fire alarm went off) at the front desk. Meanwhile, back in room 303, the door never closed properly and a visitor decided to take advantage. I don't know why I woke up, but I did. My eyes flashed open and there he was standing in front of my bed, lurking over the table against the wall. I don't know why but I didn't have it in me to scream, so instead... I confronted him. I immediately told him to drop whatever he had in his hands and to leave, and he did. At first, I thought that he had taken my cell phone, but I later on realized that he was after my clutch. I retrieved my belongings, placed them on my night table and went back to bed. Caro rushed to the front desk, and the receptionist said that nothing could be done because the rooms don't have cameras and that it was up to us to close the door properly, but they would keep a look out for any suspicious activity. Alex got back 2 minutes after the incident, and I felt much safer when he did. In the moment, I didn't panic and I didn't think that anything was missing, until four hours later...
Again, my intuition kicked in.
It was 9am, and I was frantically looking for my camera. No where to be found.
Later on, I couldn't find my wallet. Again, no where to be found. (Note: I had about $200 in my wallet because everyone had paid me for the hotel & food, over $100 in gift cards and a credit card)
Then Alex popped out of nowhere, "Hey guys, you know what's funny? I can't find my wallet either." Luckily for him, he had taken out all of his IDs but he did manage to lose his two clubbing IDs and $20.
Everything, stolen.
I inspected every nook of the hotel rooms, and I couldn't find a thing. I couldn't believe it.
As we were cleaning up the rooms, Caro decided to have a little snack. Little did she know, chocolate chip cookies can cause damage to teeth. She chipped a big chunk of one of her teeth. What are the odds?
We tidied up both rooms in time for our 12pm check-out, and proceeded to the police station. After being juggled from the police station, back to the hotel (where we waited for over an hour for the cops to show up, but I got a phone call so they never did), and then back to another police station, I was able to make a police report. While we were waiting I received a phone call from the hotel stating that my wallet had been found, cash & credit card missing, but everything else was in tact. Also, we overheard that a drug-raid had happened on the fifth floor and several people were in a comatose/googly-eyed state because they had been drugged. This was confirmed when Alex went up to the fourth floor looking for our missing belongings and was overwhelmed by the smell of pot. Apparently, I got to stay at the same hotel and spend NYE with addicts and thieves... Good times.
All in all, the day was a waste of time because once the cute police officer (which we have all claimed as ours) was done filling out the report, he proceeded to tell me that I was basically wasting my time. I'm sad that I lost my belongings, especially all the wonderful pictures that I took of the night, but at the same time it could have ended even worse... Scary thought.
Where does this lead me now? I am going to try and claim my camera to Visa and see if I can get reimbursed for it... hopefully that'll be the case.
So here's to an amazing 2010! Even though things didn't work out as planned, I am happy to have spent the night with my friends. May this year bring you all good health, happiness and amazing memories with the people that you love. As Alex said today, maybe some things happen for a reason, with the purpose to make you stronger. I think that'll be the case for me this year. <3
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