Annual Christmas Party

My friends Ken Bin and Cordelia host a Christmas party every year, some years at their home, more recently at their cafe The Olive Tree in Petaling Jaya. I always enjoy this annual ritual. I get to re-connect with their extended family and also celebrate the festivities with our friends Yean Mun and David who are also perenially on the guest list.

This year was no different and we gathered at The Olive Tree on Tuesday evening. I was a tad late as I had a staff birthday dinner to attend first but still had a wonderful time nevertheless. It is always meaningful to enjoy the Christmas season amongst good friends. My friendships with Ken Bin and David began in 1988 at Immanuel College, with Cordelia and Yean Mun in 1989 at The Flinders University Of South Australia. That's more than two decades and whilst our busy schedules have resulted in us meeting less frequently, we still make the effort for birthdays, Christmas and Chinese New Year.

Among all of us, Cordelia does best when it comes to wrapping gifts and decorating the home. I always look forward to Christmas parties at her home. Great food enhanced by beautiful table settings, thematic decor creating a festive ambience. A smaller, more intimate crowd. Next year perhaps.

Photo of me, Mei Lin, Yean Mun, Cordelia, David and Ken Bin at The Olive Tree in Petaling Jaya.

Boarding School

I seem to be doing good in making it a point to keep in touch with those I went to school with. Ching, Ken Bin, David and I attended Immanuel College in Adelaide, the latter 3 of us as boarding students in Year 12. I have always been in contact with the guys; I was even bestman at Ken Bin's wedding more than 10 years ago whilst David and I meet for coffee whenever our schedules permit. Come to think of it, I was also bestman at Ken Bin's brother, Ken Lin's wedding ... but I digress. As for Ching, I haven't seen her in a few years although we've been in touch on and off.

As luck would have it, plus a little bit of effort on all our parts, we all made it to dinner last night at Ken Bin's recently opened cafe, The Olive Tree. Theoretically, it shouldn't really be that difficult for us to meet, since we all live about 10 to 15 minutes' drive from each other. However, it's the complacency that gets in the way at times. Not last night though, and we had a blast musing over some of the fond memories of our days at Immanuel - morning wake-up calls, trips to the city on Friday afternoons, the dinner and dance (OMG ... some of the photos in Facebook; 'nuff said!), the Vegemite incident (does this ring a bell Paul Jericho, Tom Brown?), and many others.

Those were carefree days and don't we sometimes wish we could re-live some of those treasured moments? For me, the happy memories are meant to be cherished and laughed over from time to time. They are the foundations of our happy state-of-mind. What we should always strive to do really, is to harness the happy thoughts and channel them towards creating similar days ahead.

Photo (from L to R) of Ching, Ken Bin, yours truly and David at The Olive Tree, Petaling Jaya.

The Olive Tree

Being loyal and supportive are traits that I value, whether in my work or in my personal life. 2 friends of mine recently ventured into the restaurant business. Having had some F&B experience from the days when I was working in the hospitality industry, I know firsthand what a challenge such a venture presents. I am not one to pour cold water on entrepreneurial endeavours; I offer my 2 cents of what I think the potential pitfalls are and then I try to provide support and encouragement as best I can.

Cordelia and Ken Bin's cafe - The Olive Tree - is located at Damansara Intan, next to the spanking new Tropicana City Mall. Just minutes from my home, I make it a point to drop in for a meal whenever my schedule permits, mostly with friends. These lunch-dates of mine will then have the opportunity to make up their own minds about whether it is worthwhile to make the cafe a regular haunt of theirs. Case in point, I was there for brunch earlier today with a friend. Both of us live within the vicinity, so suggesting we meet at The Olive Tree was a no brainer. From time to time, I also offer suggestions and ideas. Another case in point, I am friendly with the people behind The QGuides, so I try to link them up (for all you foodies out there, The QGuides is a website you should check out).

As with any new venture, moral support is vital. I hope whatever little efforts I have made and shall continue to make will in some small way contribute to its future success.

Photo of The Olive Tree.