Glasses Raised

I don't drink but this is a happy photo. It represents friends whom I have gotten to know over the past few years, who congregate every year just before Chinese New Year to celebrate the kinship and camaraderie that have been nurtured over time.

 

Mostly from the Klang Valley, but some from interstate and others from abroad, we make it a point to be present. Plans are set afoot early, venue booked, invites are sent out, travel arrangements are made for some and RSVPs collated. Kudos and appreciation go out to the organisers who despite their busy schedules, put time aside to ensure a memorable evening.

 

With many glasses raised, the well wishes that reverberated throughout the night will surely ensure a happy year ahead.

 

 

Annual reunion dinner, for 2016 at Oriental Viva, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Annual Chinese New Year Reunion

For the past seve-ral years, I have been privileged to be invited to an annual Chinese New Year reunion dinner among good friends that is always held at Overseas Restaurant in Imbi. Ranging from 3 to 4 tables, it is a very merry affair, with good food, a copious amount of drinks and most importantly the company of a group of wonderful, accepting friends.

 

Kudos needs to go out to the recurrent organisers, who year after year, without fail, send out the invites, manage the RSVPS, make the reservations, order the food, purchase the drinks and remind us with periodic updates of the impending celebration. Testament to the friendships that we have forged throughout the years, other than those of us living in the Klang Valley, some came from as far as Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai for this year's get together. A boisterous crowd we were, with happy sentiments set to last us throughout the new year ahead.

 

As the Year of the Goat beckons, I plan to dedicate the new year to nurturing and cementing friendships, particularly ones that have brought much meaning to my life.

 

 

Reunion dinner on 14 February 2015. Photo courtesy of Lim Han San.

Chinese New Year 2013

Chinese New Year for me has always been about spending time with the extended family - nurturing family ties, feasting, having a good laugh, enjoying each other's company. The lead up to Chinese New Year and the first fifteen days of the lunar new year are much fun as my family throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the celebrations.

 

As most of my extended family - both from my Mum and Dad's sides of the family - are based in the Klang Valley, we are never too far from one another. We gather at every opportunity to eat and be merry.

What makes Chinese New Year so meaningful is the appreciation of family ties. Whether we choose to admit it or not, we all need family. We rely on them for support, for comfort, for love. To a certain extent, we seek their approval, and we value their acceptance. Most of all, we cherish the happy times that we spend together, creating memories that are to last a lifetime.


Photos of my extended family.

Reunion Trip To KK

I've just returned from a reunion trip in Kota Kinabalu over the Merdeka holiday, with my good friends from university days. At the request of some of them, I am going to defer from saying how long we've known each other. You see, we are rather sensitive when it comes to age. Suffice to say, it's been quite a long time. I first met Ken Lin and Ken Bin when we were in boarding school at Immanuel College, Adelaide. We then got to know Cordelia, Yean Mun and Elsie when at The Flinders University Of South Australia a year later.

Though we are no longer as close as we used to be, we still make it a point to celebrate special occasions and milestones together. Birthdays, Chinese New Year, Christmas, weddings. In fact, I was best man at Ken Bin and Cordelia's wedding, and then again when Ken Lin married Sally, the latter now the seventh member of the clique. With Elsie in Hong Kong, Ken Lin and Sally in Penang, and the rest of us in the Klang Valley, it takes time and effort to get together. Whilst we have travelled together in groups of different configurations over the years, this was our first holiday together since our final year at uni. Back then we were just six uni students on a trip to Kangaroo Island. This time round, we were seven adults with three kids in tow, with another younger one back in Penang.

Short and compact the trip may have been, it was still much enjoyable. It gave us the opportunity to rekindle friendships, reminisce and spend quality time together. Bonds that we formed years ago remain till this day. We just need to work on keeping our friendships alive. Certainly an endeavour that will be worthwhile.

Elsie, Yean Mun, Cordelia, Bin, Lin and I at Mount Kinabalu National Park in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Family

A couple of friends recently com-mented that I come from a pretty close-knit family, just by judging from some of the photos I posted on Facebook. That's certainly true. The majority of my extended family, both paternal and maternal, all live in the Klang Valley, so we get together often.

My late father instilled in me, from childhood, to value family ties. At the onset of every year, I block my calendar for dinner with the extended familly during festivals and celebrations. I very rarely miss these occasions. Some of us go on holiday together every year, an annual ritual of sorts.

As some of you may already know, I just very recently returned from a trip to Hoi An and Danang in Vietnam. We were a group of fourteen; aunts, uncles and cousins. When travelling in a large group, some compromise is needed, and plenty of patience! Still, we had a good time as always.

Dinner upon arrival in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Venturing To Penang

A capsule collection of That Special Occasion wedding gowns is now available in Penang, either for rent or purchase at the spanking new Whizarts Wedding Photography Boutique Studio in Taman Permai. It is always a challenge delivering a service outside the Klang Valley where That Special Occasion is based, but with collaborative partners such as Ke Wynn and Alishia in Penang, we are confident that such a venture can be a success. We also take heart from the fact that we can draw from our experience in Kota Kinabalu where we have worked in a similar fashion with Louis Pang Studio for a number of years.

We have many good friends and industry colleagues in Penang and it was a pleasure to catch up with them at the official launch of Whizarts' new entrepreneurial endeavour yesterday. It is through their support that we hope to achieve some level of success there.

One thing is for sure, we will approach this venture with much gusto, putting our best foot forward as always.

Photo shot at Whizarts Wedding Photography Boutique Studio in Penang, Malaysia.