Alumni Reunions in Penang and Kuala Lumpur

One of the reasons for making a trip to Penang was to attend a mini reunion of my Brinsford Alumni.

Brinsford Lodge was the teacher training college set up by the Malayan Government in the late 1950s to train secondary school teachers who were then bonded to serve the Government for 5 years.  It was located near Wolverhampton in the UK. and was affiliated to the Institute of Education, University of Birmingham, U.K.

8 batches of students, 150 young men and women per batch, were sent to Brinsford to attend the 2-year teacher training course. Upon completion they returned to Malaya and were posted to secondary schools throughout the country. I’m from batch 6, 1961-62.

                                      Some of my housemates and I on a visit somewhere

                                          My housemate Debbie and I at a Deepavali function

I attended the mini reunion to meet up with alumni whom I didn’t know and had not met before.  They were very friendly and made me most welcome.  One of them from the 1st batch, fetched me from the hotel to the restaurant where they had ordered a delicious lunch.

                                                       Alumni mini reunion in Penang

It was amazing to meet fellow Brinsfordians who naturally fell into easy camaraderie although we were meeting up for the first time.

After my return from Penang we had another mini reunion of my housemates in Kuala Lumpur before my flight back to Sabah.  It was a very joyful one as some of us had not seen one another for many many years.

                                                Some of my "U" House mates & spouses

                                                           Agnes & I at her home
The Brinsfordians have mooted the idea that the next reunion will be in Kota Kinabalu so that they can visit the eastern part of the country which is across the South China Sea.  One of them has been tasked to organise the trip for the end of this year. Hopefully it will materialize.

                                           Mt Kinabalu is silhouetted as the sun rises

Precious Reunions

The older one gets, the more precious reunions are.  One realizes that time is no longer on one’s side.  One is not sure how much time one has left in this world.

Thus, it has become very important to meet up with old friends whenever possible, hence the reunions.

I have these mini reunions with my classmates from the Methodist Girls’ School, Kuala Lumpur whenever I happen to be in the capital city.  One of my classmates will organize the ladies and a venue is agreed upon.  How indispensable Whatsapp has become! Through this app, we are able to determine who is able to attend and to decide on the date and venue of our reunion.

We were classmates from the time we entered secondary school until the time we graduated. This class of ’59 is still going on strong although many are no longer domiciled in Kuala Lumpur or in Malaysia.

Our latest reunion was held last month to celebrate the birthday and 50th wedding anniversary of one our classmates, Dr. Gnanam.

                         Dr. Gnanam presented with flowers for her wedding anniversary

                                                     Singing Happy Anniversary song

                                                       Singing Happy Birthday song

                                                     Getting ready to blow out the candle.

She was most gracious to host the celebratory lunch at the Royal Lake Club in Kuala Lumpur.  Our core group attended not only to wish her Happy Wedding Anniversary but also Happy Birthday.  So, it was a two-in-one celebration.

                                            Our lovely lunch hosted by Dr. Gnanam

It was a very lovely reunion to celebrate Dr. Gnanam's birthday and 50th wedding anniversary.

They have planned to have another gathering in November to welcome home another of our classmates who has made her home in the UK. She usually returns to Malaysia to escape the cold winter. As we grow older, we find it much harder to tolerate the cold temperatures of winter. However, I have to miss out on this one as airfares across the South China Sea are expensive.

However, I'm looking forward to the main reunion in February which sees the Chinese community ushering in a new Lunar year.

Fun Time with Grandchildren

Having grandchildren is a wonderful blessing from God. The little ones bring one great joy and being able to see them grow is another blessing.

                                                                         Painting

                                                                I can paint too!

We visited our two younger grandchildren this week, still pre-schoolers.

                                                             Playing Monopoly

The younger child is about two and a half now and can talk, although some of her words are still not very clear. She loves to imitate her older brother, parroting his words and actions.

                                                              At the playground

Here are some of our activities during this short period of bonding. Our visits are short and far in between so the time we spend together are very precious.

                                                      Constructing with Grandpa

                                                            Almost done!

                                                                  Climbing!

                                                                 I can reach it!!

We hope to leave behind happy memories of their grandparents.  

                                                             Fun at the Mall

                                                                 Fun at the keys.

Another Wedding in the Family

This month, another nephew married his sweetheart. However, their marriage was solemnised last month in the UK where she was working. They returned to Malaysia to host their wedding dinner and to have the tea ceremony, which all Chinese families regard as mandatory.

Ivan Tan’s wedding was very different from Adrian Liew’s. He had the main tea ceremony in his family home a week earlier, before the wedding dinner, instead of on the same afternoon. For those, like me, who missed the earlier tea ceremony, a short one was held in one of the hotel function rooms, so that the bridal couple could serve tea to the relatives who were unable to attend the earlier one.

                                                         Ivan receiving his Ang Pau

The wedding dinner was held in the grand ballroom of a 5-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

                                                Ivan & Crystal entering the Ballroom
         
The venue was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. Each table centrepiece was a huge arrangement of fresh flowers, in a pink and white theme.

                                                             My sister & I with spouse

The main table had huge floral arrangements.

                                                             Main Table Centerpiece

A live band entertained us throughout the dinner which was individually served, course by course. Thus, dinner did not end before 11 p.m.  Take a look at the menu!!

                                                            Wedding Dinner Menu

                                                       Dessert- The Strawberry Garden

As usual, friends and relatives caught up with one another on this occasion and everyone had a good time.

                                                                Siblings and spouses

                                                         My sisters- Left is Ivan's mum.

                                                      Center: my beautiful niece Sunitha

Chinese Weddings

Weddings in the family are events to look forward to and these occasions enable family from far and near to gather together. My nephew Adrian married his dream girl Cheryl in May this year and it was such a romantic wedding, held at a very old church, St. Andrew's Church.

All his cousins, family and friends came from different countries to celebrate his Big Day. The wedding was very well-planned and everything went smoothly.

Photographs were taken together with the bride and groom. The family photograph of his aunts and uncles and the photograph of his cousins and their children show what a big family we are.

Together with aunts and uncles

                                               Together with cousins and their children

No Chinese wedding is complete without the tea ceremony. This is where the bridal couple serve tea to the parents and relatives as a mark of respect. Accepting the cup of tea means acceptance into the family. Ang Pau and jewellery are given to the bride and groom after drinking the tea.

In the evening a big dinner is held and it is usually a 8 or 9 course banquet and drinks flow freely, red wine, brandy and whisky. Chinese tea is readily available for those who don’t drink.
The toast of “Yum Seng” is always dragged out over a couple of minutes or longer and everyone joins in the merry making, shouting “Yum….m…m….m….mm… Seng” as loudly as possible!

The venue for Adrian’s dinner was the Glass House and it was beautifully decorated making the guests feel that they were in a garden. The lights and the ambience made one feel as if one were in fairyland.

                                                       
We enjoyed the wedding dinner, catching up with relatives whom we had not seen for a long time. Geographical location, the rush of life and work, etc. connive to make meeting up, rare occasions. So, weddings are happy events where everyone gets to see everyone else in the extended family, chatting, eating, drinking and of course, taking photographs!

To Adrian & Cheryl, may you both have a Happily Ever After while in Chinese we say, “Pak Tau Toh Lo” (Together until Silver-haired).

Birthday Meals with Family

I had a simple birthday on the 26th of June. Although this is a significant milestone, at 75 years old, I didn’t have a big dinner to celebrate as most Chinese people would have done.

My son had suggested that I return to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate together with my siblings but I demurred. It would have been a hefty expense which I cannot really afford as airfares and taxis from the airport are expensive.

Besides, hosting a multi-course dinner at a restaurant in KL is expensive especially where at least 3 tables would be required to accommodate my relatives. Not all my family members would be present, as my elder daughter doesn’t have anymore leave and she certainly would not be able to fly to KL.  Neither would my son and his family be there. So to me, it would not be meaningful.

Instead, I opted to have a quiet day at home, having lunch with my granddaughter and hubby at a restaurant known for its good food. We ordered the mandatory birthday noodles,

                                                                 sweet and sour pork,

                                                        Hong Kong Kailan with prawn,

                                                     deep-fried chicken with apple sauce.

Then dinner was at another restaurant together with my daughter, granddaughter and hubby. It was raining quite heavily and the traffic was heavy. So, it was quite a while before we reached the restaurant. The simple food turned out to be tasty although the crabs were not up to expectation.

 Deep-fried tofu topped with minced pork & pickled lettuce

                                      Soupy spinach with century egg & Chinese wolfberries

                                                    Crabs cooked with spicy curry paste

                                               Chicken skin stuffed with pork & prawn paste

After dinner, my son and his young children called to wish me happy birthday. Earlier in the morning, he had sent me a video of his children singing Happy Birthday Grandma. They were so cute! I was very touched, listening to their young voices singing to me. That made my day!

Later that night my younger daughter called from KL to wish me too; so did my nephew and nieces. My siblings had called earlier in the day and a few of them whatsapped their greetings.

I ended the day watching a Chinese serial on Astro, reading the subtitles since I’m not familiar with the language. It was a good day. Quiet and ordinary without any fuss.

I can say that I had a very happy 75th birthday with my buddies and friends taking me out and feting me with delicious lunches, spending time with me, not forgetting the many, many friends who wished me on Facebook and on other social media platforms. I am truly blessed and I thank the good Lord for his Love and Favor. God bless my family and friends too.