OTTOMATES CHILL OUT AT YOUNG TIMES PARTY!

and you have a perfect recipe for a party.

And that's exactly what Ottomates had on May 12. And for those who are uninitiated, Ottomates are members of the Otto Club - an exclusive club for Young Timers. Otto is the mascot of the popular magazine - Young Times . By the way, this alien from a faraway planet has a brother in-two called Totto. And yes, Young Timers are the smart youngsters of Generation Next who read Young Times.

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Coming back to the party, it was the first ever for members of the Otto Club, where Ottomates could get together, chill out and have fun. The only stipulation for the costume party was that they should be dressed in one of the categories - aliens, super heroes, popstars, or characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes or the hugely popular Harry Potter sagas.

Little wonder then that witches with broom sticks, Harry Potters, complete with the trademark scar that went zig-zag on the forehead, fairies with wings, princesses with tiaras, an Aladdin with a magic lamp, spidermen and supermen and batmen (yes the plural, as there were several), a Little Red Riding Hood, a captain hook, and a bevy of Britney Spears, Undertakers and Dubai's very own Rockstars in sunglasses and jangling chains, showed up at the venue - Our Own English High School, Dubai's Auditorium - as early as 9 o'clock, though the party was to officially begin at 10. And they jammed and danced and paraded their costumes as if there was no tomorrow!

The MC of the day kept things going at a brisk pace, with music and games. Four Corners - the popular party game - saw a few guys trying to sneak back into cities like London, Paris, New York and far away Timbuktu, though they had been bombarded out of the game. The reason for the attempted subterfuge was the big prizes.

The Young Timers kept the candy floss machine busy and the balloon-blowers kept an endless supply of balloons going, while a knot of tweens surrounded the clown to get their face painted.

The defining moment of the party was when the magic show began. Magician Omar Farooq kept them mesmerised with his red, pink and yellow scarves, appearing and disappearing, and made a bird suddenly come fluttering out of an unsuspecting volunteer's palm! He had a wedding party to attend - his own! - later in the day, but he kept his date with the Ottomates. Some commitment! Perhaps it was an optical illusion. Or was it his double we saw performing those tricks?!

The crowd went wild when Modhesh, the mascot of the Dubai Summer Surprises made a dramatic entry, grinning from ear to ear. There was a crush of kids queueing up to get themselves photographed with him.

Then came DJ Kritika from City 101.6 FM - the one with the bubbly voice - and got everyone on to the floor to dance the rest of the party away. She did make their day!

No, the Cinderella's carriage did not turn into a pumpkin at 12. It was noon, you see! But she did carry a whole lot of goody bags as did the fairies and Harry Potters who went away with snack boxes, stationery supplies and bagfuls of biscuits!

No, the Cinderella did not leave her glass slipper behind!

Until, next year, then....