Friends In Hong Kong

A holiday is made extra meaningful when opportunities to meet up with friends whom we haven't seen in a while arise. I had made plans to see Felix, Elsie, Anna and Arjuna prior to my trip to Hong Kong, but catching up with Phoebe was a pleasant surprise. Felix, friends since my working stint in Leysin; Elsie, friends from the time we were at Flinders; Anna, my business partner at That Special Occasion and her hubby Arjuna; Phoebe, friends from hotel school at Le Bouveret.

I'd have to thank Facebook for facilitating the catching up. Just a couple of messages and I had set up a dinner with Felix, supper with Elsie, lunch with Anna and Arjuna. And when I arrived in Hong Kong and posted that I was enjoying the cold weather, Phoebe's other half and my good friend Danny who is based in Dalian, quickly commented that she was back in Hong Kong and that I should call. As luck would have it, we managed to meet the day before she flew back to Dalian.

Good friends are few and far between and I always cherish the catch up sessions, no matter how much trouble we have to go through to meet, no matter how much advance notice we need to give one another, no matter how fleeting or lengthy the meeting. More so when we live so far apart. We've shared many wonderful memories during our time as students, matured together as we entered adulthood, have been part of milestones in each other's lives. Such bonds that have been nurtured over the years enable us to be lifelong friends, and seeing each other whilst on holiday is always an added bonus.

Here I am with Phoebe. I met up with her the couple hours I had between my cousin's wedding ceremony and banquet.

Duet

I was feeling a tad nostalgic this evening and spent some time looking for videos on YouTube of singers whom I followed in the 80s, in particular the stars of Cantopop such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan, Roman Tam, all of whom passed on way too early.

Listening to their songs made me think of the frequent karaoke sessions that I would have with my friends Danny, Phoebe, Faizol and Patricia in the not too distant past. Danny and Phoebe are now in Dalian whereas Patricia is in Brisbane, and I do miss the hilarious antics we would get up to in the privacy of our karaoke room.

The photo here is of Broery Marantika and Dewi Yull, singers from Indonesia, whose song to which Patricia and Faizol would never fail to duet to, is entitled 'Jangan Ada Dusta Antara Kita'. Enjoy the song.

Photo of Broery Marantika and Dewi Yull.

Farewell For Now

The 2 years I spent in Switzerland in the early 1990s were some of the best times of my life. Having returned home, I maintained a close-knit group of friends who shared a common link to L'Institut Hotelier 'Cesar Ritz' where we studied - Danny, Phoebe, Patricia and Faizol.

Patricia has since moved to Brisbane with hubby Robert, and the latest ones to move will be Danny and Phoebe in a few days. Having done stints in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu at Shangri-La properties, Danny will be assuming the role of Director Of Sales & Marketing at Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian in China.

To wish them well and send them on their way, I hosted a farewell dinner over the weekend. Faizol and wife Sonya joined us, with Patricia 'phoning in' all the way from Brisbane. A silver lining - I've got a new place to visit soon. Meanwhile, there'll be an alumni gathering of Cesar Ritz graduates this Friday, so time to catch up with the others as well.

Photo of Danny, me, Faizol, Chloe, Sonya, Phoebe and Wesley.

To Reciprocate

To reciprocate is a practice that I hold in high regard. If people treat you well, then treat them well in return. A simple notion, isn’t it? I try to do this, though I don’t always succeed, but by and large, I think I do pretty well, putting others first, albeit only for those who are deserving.

It is on this premise that I made the effort to round up a few friends to celebrate Danny’s birthday over dinner 2 nights ago. The ‘Cesar Ritz’ gang – originally consisting of Danny, Phoebe, Patricia, Faizol and I; now including Sonya, Faizol’s other half – tries to celebrate one another’s birthday every year. We keep it intimate, just the few of us, probably because conversation flows much more freely among friends who share a common bond. The only one missing? Patricia who is now living in Brisbane. Still, we have a good time and include her in our thoughts.

Now, if only every one of our friends, if only everyone that we deal with at work, subscribed to the ideal of reciprocating. It would certainly make our lives so much more rewarding, so much less stressful and our relationships so much more gratifying. So, have you done a good deed for someone deserving lately?

Photo of (L to R) Phoebe, Wesley, Chloe, Sonya, Danny, Faizol and Kris at Alexis in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

White Water Rafting

I had my first taste of white water rafting a couple of years ago when my friend Danny and I headed to Kiulu during one of my trips to Kota Kinabalu. This time round, I went down the same river again with another group of friends. We had initially planned to do either Padas or Liwagu but plans for both were thrown out the window because of time constraints.

Rain the evening before meant that water levels would be higher and we were in for an exhilarating time. Being terribly sunburnt from island hopping 2 days earlier, I also felt the cold water would do my skin some good! The thing about taking on a not-too-challenging river is that one gets to enjoy it more I reckon. There is less pressure, there are opportunities for silly antics during languid stretches, and we also get to appreciate the scenery more.

On a more serious note, white water rafting is one of those activities that reinforces one's belief that teamwork is paramount in many aspects of our daily lives. We rely on one another to keep us safe, we encourage each other to keep pushing forward, we ultimately achieve an aspiration together as one. Food for thought no?

Photo shot at Kiulu, Sabah.

Good Friends

It is always nice to know that friends are thinking of you. Danny, Phoebe and I have been friends since the early 1990s, when we first met in Switzerland as students and room-mates at L'Institut Hotelier 'Cesar Ritz' in Le Bouveret, a tiny village of only 700 people on the edge of Lake Geneva. A picture paints a thousand words so they say, and this photo says it all really. They were fun times.

So, the 3 of us go a long way back. I was bestman at their wedding, and now with a kid in tow, they never fail to keep in touch. Over dinner and coffee on most occasions, well actually dinner and durian earlier this evening, we would talk about the latest happenings in our lives. Danny, Director of Sales & Marketing at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur keeps me updated on the happenings in the industry that I was once a part of whilst Phoebe, now a 'domestic goddess', shares tales of bringing up their son. They in turn take a keen interest in my work and my personal life, more so the latter I suspect!

What so great about this friendship of ours is that we are still as close as we were back then. We often reminisce about our road trips round Switzerland - Bern, Basel, Zurich, Thun, Interlaken, Leysin - which we hope to do again sometime in the future, when the finances permit. But in the meantime, we have tons of memories and photos to fall back on.

Photo of L'Institut Hotelier 'Cesar Ritz', courtesy of Cesar Ritz Colleges.

Potential For More Intimate Celebrations

A few of us were invited by Rama V for dinner last night, courtesy of Natasha of The Peak Xperience who coordinated the invites. Hooi Joo of Table 10, Shen Yi of I Do Weddings, Patrick of Exes Studio and Sidney of Big Boys Oven were among our small group of diners who had the opportunity of good company and great food, in a charming setting. Although we are all in the wedding industry, it is not always possible for us to meet socially, particularly when everyone of us is so busy with our own work and personal lives. It took the organisational skills of a wedding planner to get us all together for an evening out.

This is not the first time I have been to Rama V. Though not a regular, leisurely dinners with friends, a business dinner and even a date have been my previous encounters at this exquisite fine-dining Thai restaurant. I am not a qualified food critic, but suffice to say, the epicurean in me, always finds the food here to be authentic and very much palatable. The visit this time was however augmented by the presence of its new owners, Andre and Danny, who joined us for dinner. Rarely have I seen 2 persons so passionate about the food they serve, and it was an absolute pleasure sampling the variety of starters, mains and desserts that came our way throughout the evening. Lighthearted conversation was the perfect complement to the food and company, and whilst we did listen intently to Danny's insightful account of 2012, it did little to dampen the fine spirits we were in.

As to the pertinent question whether Rama V would make a good wedding venue, I would say that the potential is definitely there for more intimate celebrations. Patrick remarked that he shot his first wedding at the restaurant many years ago. So, it has always been in our midst. All it really needs is a re-introduction to the wedding market. Last night's laid-back yet sophisticated dinner was clearly a step towards that.

Photo shot at Rama V.