Friendship Rekindled

Tom, a friend from my days at boarding school at Immanuel College in Adelaide, was in town with his family recently for a holiday. I believe the last time he visited was more than two decades ago. Time flies.

 

Having kept in touch on Facebook and having caught up last year when I headed back to Adelaide, a continuous effort to keep the friendship intact despite the distance has enabled us to keep abreast of developments in our lives from time to time. And the opportunity of a get together as such always acts as a catalyst for rekindling friendships.

 

As in most things in life, effort results in returns. The apathetic will see relationships fade. In fact, they often fall off the invite list to such gatherings, not by intention of the organisers, but by lack of top-of-mind recall. Essentially, those who make the effort will reap the rewards of long-lasting friendships.

 

 

Dinner with the Browns in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Catching Up In Taipei

One of the highlights of my year-end trip to Taipei last year was the oppor-tunity to catch up with my friend Felix. The last time we met was at his wedding in Guam in April 2013. Since then, he has become a father, and it was a pleasure to spend some time with his family.

 

I was travelling with a group of friends and decided to stay on in Taipei for the first few days of the trip while the others headed straight to Tainan upon arrival in Taiwan. Other than having the chance to meet with Felix and family, it also provided me with some time to explore the city on my own, having not visited since I was eleven.

 

Felix and I became friends while he was studying and I working, in the ski resort of Leysin in Switzerland many years ago. We used to cook up a storm and enjoyed many meals together that reminded us of home. At times we would invite our Swedish friends Johan and Tom to join us too, and the former is one who I have kept in touch with as well. As always, we had a good time reminiscing about the past and sharing our plans for the future. Most importantly, such meetings cement ties and strengthen friendships that have been nurtured over the years.

 

 

With Felix, Ting and baby Elena, enjoying Ting's birthday lunch in a village in Daxi, Taiwan.

Boarding House Mates

Mates at the boarding house in Immanuel College decades ago, we made it a point to get together for a meal to catch up when I was in Adelaide last week. Although it is typical for us to remark 'you have not changed', and I am by far the most guilty of doing so, we certainly have. In a good way.

 

We have grown wiser. Our conversations are more meaningful, not necessarily serious, reflective somewhat, more impactful. We have moved with the times. Our dressing is on trend, capturing the essence of the times we live in. We have matured not only in thought but in appearance. I'd like to think like fine wine, we are getting better with age.

 

What hasn't changed however, is the bond that we share as schoolmates, living together as boarding students, away from our homes. Friendships that have been cultivated many years ago, and maintained by virtue of the wonders of modern technology. Here's to many more years of friendship.

 

 

Ken Lin, Mike, Tom and I having dinner in Glenelg in Adelaide, Australia.