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.

Chinese New Year Together

After having been friends for 27 years, it may come as a surprise that lunch on the 4th day of Chinese New Year this year was the first time all of us have spent the celebration together. This would not have been possible had Ken Lin and Sally not come down to KL from Penang. We then managed to convince our Hong Kong friend Elsie to fly in for the weekend from Kota Kinabalu where she was having a holiday.

 

As this was only decided in the week leading up to Chinese New Year, thanks also has to go to my friend Emily who secured us a table at Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33. Suffice to say, the restaurant was extremely packed but that made the festive atmosphere even more enjoyable. Most importantly, it gave us all the opportunity to embark on the Year of the Goat together, carrying with us the aspirations that we hope to attain individually and as friends.

 

It is pretty rare for a friendship to have survived almost 3 decades. Much effort has been put in to nurture the relationships that we all share as a group, and while we may have gone our separate ways somewhat after completing our studies, the dedication and commitment to keep in touch have enabled us to remain good friends. And this one ought to appreciate.

 

 

Group shot at Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Chance Meeting

It is not often that good friends happen to be in the same place at the same time, and with that create an opportu-nity to meet and catch up over a meal. I was in Penang last weekend for a wedding, Ken Bin and Cordelia happened to be there too for work, and so we took the chance to have dinner with Penangites Ken Lin and Sally. Over the course of dinner, we sent photos to our close friends Yean Mun in KL and Elsie in Hong Kong, providing them with an avenue to be part of the gathering virtually.

 

As we reflect on our decades-old friendship, we have come to realise that our efforts to stay in touch throughout the years have indeed kept our friendship intact. Whether celebrating birthdays or festive occasions, going on holiday in groups or just mindless chatter on our Whatsapp group, we certainly have been part of each other's lives since our teenage years.

 

We have made plans for a group holiday next April, with all present, kids in tow. Though it's still quite a number of months away, the enthusiasm is very much already evident. Still, we'll be meeting for birthdays and festive occasions between now and the trip. And with each meeting, I gather the level of enthusiasm will indeed elevate in tandem.

 

 

Ken Bin, Cordelia, Sally, Ken Lin and I in Penang, Malaysia.