Bin's Birthday

Bin and I have been friends since boarding school in Immanuel College, Adelaide. I then became friends with his other half, Cordelia, at Flinders University of South Australia a year later. I was the best man at their wedding. So we go back a long way.

 

Every year, we get together to celebrate birthdays, be it pre, post or on the actual day itself. Each year is a milestone, for the one celebrating the birthday, and for the rest of us too, as we mark another year of a friendship that has been nurtured for more than two decades.

 

Friendships such as this take effort to maintain but the resulting relationships are worth the while. Our perspectives and priorities may change over time but we will always have a bond that is testament to an enduring friendship.

 

Bin, Cordelia, Brandon and Bryan at The Red Olive, Jaya Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Birthday 2015

The last time I celebrated my birthday with Ken Bin, Cordelia, Ken Lin, Yean Mun and Elsie was during my 21st in Adelaide, when we were in university. If my memory serves me, I think my friends from boarding school, Mike and Ching were also present then. Fast forward to 2015, and in Bali no less, I had the good fortune of celebrating another birthday with the same friends from university plus Ken Lin's wife Sally and their kids Leticia and Lenora as well as Ken Bin and Cordelia's children Brandon and Bryan.

 

I am not one who typically celebrates with a party and cake, and for the past many years, I've kept it to quiet, intimate dinners with family and friends. In fact, I am prone to being in denial when it comes to aging, something that my close friends will attest to. Truth be told, I had the candles on the cake removed before this photo was taken haha! And although a different version of this photo exists, a version with the candles intact, it shall remain safe in my hard disk drive, away from prying eyes!  

 

The company of these 'old friends' during my birthday this year was indeed a blessing. We grew up together during some of our most formative years, and have had enduring friendships. For the most part, there is little of each other that we don't know, and little that we don't accept. Here's to longevity of friendships and many more years of celebrations.

 

 

At Villa Heliconia in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.