Now ...
Once a year our gang (of 14) meets during CNY for dinner. This year was on Feb 6th at V-Garden, Klang.
Our gang doesn’t always add up to 14 members actually. Some years we have more, some years less. It depends if someone has drifted apart from the rest of the group, or if another is being ostracized due to 1 member hinting “she comes, I won’t come” sort of thing, you know? And of course certain members have more say on who gets invited or who, to leave out. Obviously I, being the organizer for the CNY reunion for the past 17 years or so, have a lot of say in this matter. It seems I am supposedly the petty one as I have more than once decided to axe somebody!
Along the way, someone brings in a new friend whom she thinks the rest of the group would be able to get along with and thus, the membership grows. Recent members are my 2 kailuis - Percy & Abby and Carol and Christine aka “Tai-Lap Poh” because of the obvious, … haiyah, her surname Poh-la. But incidentally, she’s quite busty really. Even though they are considered “new” members, Percy, Abby & Christine have joined us for the past 6 years (?) and Carol, 2.
How did our club begin?
Tiay, Callie & I met in 1990 as my company had dealings with theirs. One night Tiay initiated a gathering at Metro Club and that was when I was introduced to Grace, Penny, Michelle, Hui Min and a couple of others. (who are not in the group)
It’s strange how with some people you hit it off straightaway !! Almost immediately more outings were arranged. New friends were brought in … it was like networking. Some stayed, some didn’t and finally other than the 1st group, we had regulars like Karen, Irene, Ah Yong, Ah Tan and Anna. By the time Espy joined us, she was no. 13…
At that time EVERYONE was single so we were meeting very, very often. We went clubbing, pub-ing, karaoke-ing etc. You see, I was actually quite a late bloomer. (ahem). This group brought me out of the shell I was under. We frequented pubs like Camberwell, Kelab Syabas etc discos like Betel Nut.. We made trips to Melaka, Genting, Frasers, Cameron Highlands, PD, Penang, Langkawi etc… We organized games such as squash and more recently, futsal, where the highlights of these sessions were the huge dinners thereafter. Hmmm .. Those days were really fun. Just thinking about them makes me want to laugh all over again.
But sigh… all good things must come to an end…. Life isn’t just about having fun and eventually we all had to grow up (we can’t all be like Peter Pan) as we took on more responsibilities; be it family or work related.
Our gatherings have since taken a back seat and we do not meet that often anymore except for a select few. The rest meet on special occasions like weddings, house-warming parties, children’s birthdays (which I try to avoid), sometimes at funerals and as a rule, I host a Christmas party for them each year at my villa.
Year after year I complain because I have to organize our CNY reunion. But the fact is I am aware that despite their tight schedules, everyone tries their best to attend and this thought alone humbles and encourages me. Based on the ‘taruhing’ I receive each time I ‘pretend’ to forget to organize this event, I can sense their eagerness to meet and catch up on old times, even if its just for 1 evening each year. So I may complain and complain but I will still be doing it next year and the next… (I wouldn’t be ‘me’ if I didn’t complain, right?)
I believe we all have happy memories of the past; yet the fact that this same group of friends were there to offer support during our bad times brought us even closer together. Whenever we meet, there’s no uncomfortable silences and in fact we never seem to run out of topic to talk about. I suppose that’s what friendship is all about, isn’t it? That we are able to pick up from where we left off, every time, any time.
Our gang doesn’t always add up to 14 members actually. Some years we have more, some years less. It depends if someone has drifted apart from the rest of the group, or if another is being ostracized due to 1 member hinting “she comes, I won’t come” sort of thing, you know? And of course certain members have more say on who gets invited or who, to leave out. Obviously I, being the organizer for the CNY reunion for the past 17 years or so, have a lot of say in this matter. It seems I am supposedly the petty one as I have more than once decided to axe somebody!
Along the way, someone brings in a new friend whom she thinks the rest of the group would be able to get along with and thus, the membership grows. Recent members are my 2 kailuis - Percy & Abby and Carol and Christine aka “Tai-Lap Poh” because of the obvious, … haiyah, her surname Poh-la. But incidentally, she’s quite busty really. Even though they are considered “new” members, Percy, Abby & Christine have joined us for the past 6 years (?) and Carol, 2.
How did our club begin?
Tiay, Callie & I met in 1990 as my company had dealings with theirs. One night Tiay initiated a gathering at Metro Club and that was when I was introduced to Grace, Penny, Michelle, Hui Min and a couple of others. (who are not in the group)
It’s strange how with some people you hit it off straightaway !! Almost immediately more outings were arranged. New friends were brought in … it was like networking. Some stayed, some didn’t and finally other than the 1st group, we had regulars like Karen, Irene, Ah Yong, Ah Tan and Anna. By the time Espy joined us, she was no. 13…
At that time EVERYONE was single so we were meeting very, very often. We went clubbing, pub-ing, karaoke-ing etc. You see, I was actually quite a late bloomer. (ahem). This group brought me out of the shell I was under. We frequented pubs like Camberwell, Kelab Syabas etc discos like Betel Nut.. We made trips to Melaka, Genting, Frasers, Cameron Highlands, PD, Penang, Langkawi etc… We organized games such as squash and more recently, futsal, where the highlights of these sessions were the huge dinners thereafter. Hmmm .. Those days were really fun. Just thinking about them makes me want to laugh all over again.
But sigh… all good things must come to an end…. Life isn’t just about having fun and eventually we all had to grow up (we can’t all be like Peter Pan) as we took on more responsibilities; be it family or work related.
Our gatherings have since taken a back seat and we do not meet that often anymore except for a select few. The rest meet on special occasions like weddings, house-warming parties, children’s birthdays (which I try to avoid), sometimes at funerals and as a rule, I host a Christmas party for them each year at my villa.
Year after year I complain because I have to organize our CNY reunion. But the fact is I am aware that despite their tight schedules, everyone tries their best to attend and this thought alone humbles and encourages me. Based on the ‘taruhing’ I receive each time I ‘pretend’ to forget to organize this event, I can sense their eagerness to meet and catch up on old times, even if its just for 1 evening each year. So I may complain and complain but I will still be doing it next year and the next… (I wouldn’t be ‘me’ if I didn’t complain, right?)
I believe we all have happy memories of the past; yet the fact that this same group of friends were there to offer support during our bad times brought us even closer together. Whenever we meet, there’s no uncomfortable silences and in fact we never seem to run out of topic to talk about. I suppose that’s what friendship is all about, isn’t it? That we are able to pick up from where we left off, every time, any time.
I believe therein lies an urge in each of us to rebel every once in a while. Each time responsibilities & burdens get too heavy or when the pressure of life gets too overwhelming, I for one, do harbour wishful thoughts of going back and re-living the past. No responsibility, no worries just fun, fun and more fun!
Everyone is laughing at Christine’s bawdy joke and she is telling it with such gusto. As I look around the table, each face seems to evoke a different memory within me.
Ah Tan is here tonight after ‘missing’ for so many years, since she got married actually. Did she defy ‘his’ orders not to attend tonight’s gathering?
Callie coined the term “sian see kee”. (for television)
Irene – how I made her cry due to some work related issues.
Grace – how the two of us chatted the whole night (till morn) atop Irene’s car in the porch cos we were locked out as Irene and hubby were probably drunk. (Hmmm maybe I talked and Grace listened…)
The memories are countless... I could go on and on but maybe some things are best kept within your own heart?
The memories are countless... I could go on and on but maybe some things are best kept within your own heart?
F
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