Albert Goes to Wollongong (Part I)

Went down to Wollongong for a two-day company event. We had some team-building activities in the afternoon, then a costume party at night.

Participants were grouped into teams of 15 and asked to go to certain landmarks in Wollongong to complete certain tasks (a la Amazing Race). After each task, teams will receive a piece of a puzzle, which they have to complete after the five tasks. We had at our disposal a volunteer driver and a mini-bus, and we get to decide which venues we want to go first. First stop is the nearby Stuart Park for some canoeing. Each team was given 5 canoes, three persons to a canoe. Once everyone has paddled to the other shore, the whole team has to paddle back. In the heat of the moment, some of the canoes tipped over and people has to be plucked out of the icy waters for a change of clothes. Meanwhile, we proceeded on to the next event. At the Flagstaff Lighthouse, we were asked to form a human pyramid. This was not too hard considering that there's only 10 of us left. After the coordinator has taken an official photo, we were off again. We were supposed to wait for the other team members, but as everybody knows, winning is more important than teamwork. At the Win Stadium, each of us was required to do a free kick with a rugby ball. It's not as easy as it looks on TV, as the ball kept flying straight, instead of up across the goalposts. At the Mt. Keira (Kum-Ba-Yah) Girl Guide Camp, we were asked to pitch a big canvas tent. (The earlier team tried to slow us down by hiding the tent and the pegs.) We were also asked to cook spaghetti and consume it. Last stop is the Berkeley Sports Stadium for a free throw. Hailing from Philippines where basketball is the national sport, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm the second last person in our team to get the ball in. Back at the meeting place, we put together all of the puzzle pieces, and it turned out to be a table and chair set from IKEA.

I was genuinely surprised to find out that we were the last to come back, considering we cheated a little. It's true that our volunteer driver is a chubby mum with thick eyeglasses who drive slow, but we finished all the events chop-chop. Apparently, the other teams didn't play fair either. During show-and-tell, some teams admitted to hiding the tents and other equipment. Another team closed the gates to some of the venues, and even posted signs giving wrong directions. Yet another team called up other people and gave misleading instructions. One team was delayed from proceeding because their driver went off to buy some liquor. Now you know what kind of company I'm working for.