Here we are, once again, at the Chinese New Year Grand Ball held by CIFA and the Chung Wah Association at the Perth Convention Centre.

I’ve been going to this annual event for the last 11 years. It’s definitely come a long way. Every year that passes I enjoy noticing all the small changes. It’s refreshing to be surrounded by such a warm and vibrant community.

There were 600 people in attendance, a whole lot of great performances, nice food, and fun dancing. The place was crawling with government representatives and lots of very well dressed people.

During a performance by the dance troupe, I got pulled up onto the dance floor to demonstrate how to do some Bollywood dance moves.

But before you cringe, I got thrown together with our State’s Honourable Attorney General and Health Minister, who was charmingly obliging.

One of the performing dancers said I did quite well, and tried to recruit me for their Bollywood classes. But I have vivid memories of both the hot guys and the frighteningly energetic dance moves required for Bollywood dancing, so I declined politely.

My husband and I stayed till late. Lots of people were still dancing. We took a moment to rest our feet before going home. Our table occupants had long gone. I helped myself to 4 helpings of abandoned lychee pudding. My husband picked at a huge platter full of clementine mandarins.

My dad walked over to us, pointed to the mandarins and said, “Take home! Take home! Don’t waste!” He grabbed my handbag and started to fill it up with mandarins. I gasped. My handbag! No no I insisted. But it was too late.

I left the ball room with a handbag bursting with mandarins. How do you walk around graciously carrying a sack of potatoes? Like a theif!

It was so not cool.

And how do you find money in your handbag to pay for the parking ticket? Stupidly!

You have to kneel on the floor in a mini skirt, you take out all the mandarins and make a little pile so they don’t roll away, you search for ticket, money and keys, while falling over with laughter, and while your husband takes photos with a digital camera.