From past experience, we learn that advance notice with follow up calls is necessary to make it a success. Many of us are caught in the daily humdrum and finds difficulty in trying to get out of it. As early as April, we set the date at 27.7.17 for our usual 4D/3N escapade and notification was sent out via What's App Chat site specially created for this. In the first week, positive response were received mostly from the the eager beavers. Then a few "decline invitation" started coming in. However by the third week, the "yes, I'm on" was building up so strongly that it hit 30 in numbers. That was already 30% more than our earlier earlier 'getaways' and at a much faster rate. The final count was 34 participants as below :
1. Tan Kang Han Organiser
2. James Loke Organiser
3. Lim See Leong Organiser
4. Marlene Goh Organiser
5. Yeo Kim Lay Organiser
6. Lim Chee Cheong Malacca
7. Hong Lip Peng Segamat
8. Lim Tow Fuh Kota Baru
9. Poh It Pen KL
10 .Micheal Cheah JB
11. Lim Mun Jong KL
12. Govindadas KL
13.Tan See Dip KL
14. Lim Fang Wee Segamat
15.Tan Kim Leng KL
16. Chong Siong Seng Segamat
17. Han Hing Siew KL
18. Ong Beng Lam KL
19. Navamalar KL
20. Lee Heng Khen KL
21. Lee Tian Wan KL
22. Martin Ponniah Segamat
23. Tan Sow Lian Kuantan
24. Hong Mei Chean Bangkok
25. Cheah Say Geok Melbourne
26. Chew Hou Lian Melbourne
27. Khor Boon Kim Melbourne
28. Ho Fui Ping Melbourne
29. Tee Beng Chew Singapore
30. Chia Ee Ann Singapore
31. Yang Seow Onn Singapore
32. Woon Chiap Chan Singapore
33. Lui Suit Cheng Singapore
34. Tan Kheng Nyap Singapore
In Bali, Villas are popular, so we decided to go for Villa experience instead of staying at Hotels. Because of our large group size, we had to booked two big villas and they were located side by side but with separate owners. Unfortunately, a day before our departure date, due to unforeseen circumstances, one of the villa had to relocate some of us to another location 10 minutes away. But come the day, we were all so ready to have a good time the minor hiccup did not dampen our high spirits.
27.7.17. - Finally, the day came.
The main group flying via MH flight from KLIA starts gathering early at 9.00 am. Check in process is made much easier these days. We had checked in online a day earlier and only need to deposit our check in luggage however early we like. The current practice of operating multi flight counters by most airlines always create long queues which is a hassle. Moreover, immigration checks are more stringent at airports and ultimately creates another long queue.
We all checked in early with enough time to catch up. Here, Martin is with Das, both already in holiday mood.
Das with James with his thumbs up again. He is not going to let anything spoil his holiday.
Siong Seng, Kim Leng and It Pen having a good chat.
Mun Jong, Chee Chong with See Leong all ready to rumble.
Marlene, Kim Lay and I waiting for the rest to arrive.
Navam joining us for the first time. She certainly looks forward to a good trip.
Beng Lam just arrived and promptly join It Pen's table.
Pills and supplements, never leave home without it!
A compulsory stop for one item....
Whiskeys and wines.....
Everyone carries a bottle each.
All smiles on board the flight to Bali.
As far as See Leong, Chee Chong and Tiger is concern, the party have begun; 40,000 feet above sea level. They drank as if in a bar and the beer soon ran out. Then they switched to wines until the cabin also ran out of supply!
A few planes landed about the same time at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar and created a massive jam at the immigration counter.
We were caught in the queue for an hour!
At the exit, we met up with the batch of early arrivals who had waited for us for about 2 hours. It was good seeing them and despite the crowd, we still have time to say hello and exchange pleasantries.
Michael saying hello to Kim Lay and everyone else.
In no time, we were all in our bus. Because of the flight delay and the massive jam on the road, we had to change our plan. Instead of checking in to the Villa and then adjourned for dinner, we decided to go straight to our dinner venue. In the bus, the music played and we sang along all the way to restaurant. Our dinner rendezvous was at Restaurant Made Warung.
We had prior reservation and the restaurant was ready with a welcome drink for us.
Chiap Chan was the first from the Singapore group to meet us.
Hou Lian greeting Jack, it's been a while as Hou Lian now resides in Melbourne.
Say Geok who also resides in Melbourne getting a hug from Kim Lay.
Michael saying hello to Boon Kim who flew in a day earlier from Melbourne.
A warm embrace from Seow Onn to Navam. That's how close we are are. Seow Onn is staying in Singapore and have not meet Navam in a while. Both are joining the overseas reunion for the first time.
Kim Lay enjoying her dinner with the rest at her table.
Michael and Say Geok are cousins actually.
When it comes to drinks with buddies, Beng Chew is the happiest.
Boon Kim seated with Heng Khen and Siong Seng.
Mei Chean always looking radiant. She had flown in from Bangkok.
Jack with Mun Jong and Chiap Chan enjoying each other's company. Seated across them is "Tiger:" and Beng Lam.
James, See Leong and I met often enough and have been doing so for the longest time.
Mei Chean with Fui Ping who joins us from Melbourne. Sow Lian at the far end stays in Kuantan
Suit Ching and Ee Ann catching up with Fui Ping and Sow Lian.
Both Ee Ann and Suit Ching resides in Singapore.
Marlene despite her busy work schedule will always find time to meet up with old friends. and she stays in close contact with everyone. Here she is with Hou Lian who is just as glad to be here.
Cheers from Chiap Chan and gang.
Cheers from Seow Onn and gang.
And cheers from everyone, some have not met for quite sometime. Despite a whole day of traveling in the plane and then caught in the rush hour, none of us appear to be too tired. It was such a good catch up for everyone and we could continue if we do not need to check into our villa.
Cheers from See Leong and gang.
Finally arrival at our Villa at 10.00 pm !
The first impression was good and living up to it's name, True Colors Villa.
Chiap Chan and Boon Kim who are both staying at Massilia Villa decided to hang around longer at the villa to continue drinking with us.
Another group at the dining area having a drink as well.
The lounge is just next to the dining area where I caught up with Jack and Michael.
The set up is cool, a roll down white screen and a karaoke system and there we go again, singing all night long.
Buddies since school days.
We love the good old days and never stop talking about it.
I swear their stomach wasn't this big an hour earlier!
I can't remember what time it was when I hit the sack, but it is certainly after 3.00 am! And still some did not get to bed until 5.00 am!
28.7.17 - A day of sightseeing.
Sightseeing is not our main agenda, it was just a program for everyone to reunite. Bali's Hindu culture is unique and their daily life revolves around it. Not a day goes by without some form of celebration in villages dotted around Bali. It is for this, that we decided to visit their two iconic temples by the sea, one at Tanah Lot and the other at Uluwatu.
The girls here are all freshen up and ready for the day ahead.
Yes, good jump. They are more than ready.
All of us had a custom made T shirt and and cap bearing the logo of our alma mater.
While waiting for our bus, we had a group photo at the villa.
Our first visit is to the sea temple at Tanah Lot, an hour away.
Our first visit is to the sea temple at Tanah Lot, an hour away.
The traffic was gridlock about half kilometer from the entrance. We got down from our bus and walk. On the way, there were many souvenir stalls. I'm not sure why they have many of these penises as souvenirs, but See Leong and Chiap Chan have to clown around with it.
The view of the temple as we approached the sea.
Pura Tanah Lot is one of the seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each is within eyesight range of the other. The Balinese worship the sea gods at these temples.
It was high tide when we were there with big waves crashing onto the rocks.
This is one of the most photographed temples in Bali.
The place is crowded with tourist and we struggle to take a group picture.
The temple rock face had eroded over the years. One third of the rock was actually restored in a cleverly disguised artificial rock to preserve the historical value of the temple.
The beauty of the temple is the main draw for tourist visiting Bali.
Chiap Chan and See Leong with their clowning antics.
Navam with Kim Lay and Marlene have their own moment.
Pura Batu Bolong is another sea temple within eyesight range.
We did not have time to go close to these fantastic rock structures.
It is less popular than the first temple, but nevertheless it has it's own unique formation.
The Organising Committee comprising of James, See Leong, Marlene, Kim Lay and I having our picture taken for our momento.
About 10 minutes drive from the temple, we stopped by a Restaurant Gueek as recommended by the tour guide.
Despite the queer sounding name, the food is good. Their signature dish, bebek goreng ( roast duck ) is recommended.
The restaurant is set amidst padi fields which is what Bali is famed for.
A panoramic shot of our seated area that is full with tourist.
Most of us ordered their signature dish, Bebek Goreng. Although it is a bit dry, the duck actually is tasty. Some did not really like it, but most give the thumbs up.
We could have ordered some Bertutu, either Ayam or Bebek as it is another signature dish here.
Back to the entrance after lunch before boarding our bus again.
The day feels hotter than what is shown in the weather apps.
Our next place of interest is the Uluwatu Temple or Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the six key temples believed to be Bali's spiritual pillars. The horrendous traffic jam took 3 hours to reach although the distance is only 40 km ! It was about 5.30 pm when we arrived.
To enter the temple grounds, everyone wearing shorts have to be covered, as in all religious places in Bali.
What makes Uluwatu spectacular is it's cliff-top setting at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean.
Archeological digs found inscriptions that dates the temple existence back to 1000 years ago.
We headed straight for the amphitheater which was already filling up.
We have to separate ourselves to find whatever seating space available
Das and Martin came in to an already full house theatre.
Sow Lian having a "wefie" with those around her.
It's selfie time while waiting for the show to start.
The sun was set scene opposite where we were seated at the open theatre.
Even though not the best of sunset when were there, the backdrop is mesmerising.
The view of the stand from where we were.
The Balinese Hindus believe that the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva becomes one.
That belief results in making Uluwatu Temple a place of worship of Siva Rudra, the Balinese Hindu deity of all elements and aspects of life in the universe.
It is still wefie time at the gallery.
The overcrowded gallery spills onto the stage.
The Kecak dance starts with the chanting of the very much reduced kecak dancers. The story is from one of the Ramayan epic of how Hanuman, the super power monkey god rescues Sita, the wife of Siva from the demon. Unfortunately, most of us left the stage midway because the monotonous chanting was getting to be a headache.
A handful that stayed back were rewarded with the dramatic ending of kecak dancers walking over hot burning charcoal.
The scene depicts Hanuman destroying Langka city in the fierce battle with the evil Rahwana.
Like all fables, the story is about how good triumph over evil. The final fight scene on burning fire against the backdrop of the temple and the sea is a spectacular sight.
Hindu influence had spread far and wide not just to Bali. Hanuman was actually the inspiration to the Chinese legendary Monkey God born from a rock at Huaguo San, China. It was later popularised in the epic Journey to the West where the same creature that possessed super human power and accompanies Sun Wukong to India in search of the Sutras.
It was dark when we left Uluwatu and the traffic was heavy towards Jimbaran Beach. That's our venue for dinner and looks like all tourist from Uluwatu were also headed for the same beach.
Our venue was Ganesh Restaurant. The table was already laid out for us when we arrived at about 8.00 pm.
The beach setting is relaxing especially with the cool breeze blowing.
The dinner is inclusive of the day's tour package and we did not have high expectations.
But it does come with wide variety of seafood, squid, crabs, fish, big prawns etc.
The fact that we got off the traffic and into the beach dinner with cool soothing wind is itself refreshing.
We enjoyed the atmosphere and weren't in a hurry to move.
The entire seaside is just seafood restaurants with tables laid on the beach.
Hou Lian relaxing with Say Geok and Navam. At the background is the Bali International airport which is not far away.
Kheng Nyap, Martin, Boon Kim and Fang Wee enjoying the cool breeze.
James having his plate full. The seafood variety was more than adequate.
Chee Chong with Boon Kim and Martin resting their stomach after chomping down their seafood.
It is probably to add to attraction by having fireworks along the beach as the patrons at all these restaurants were tourists.
Nice photo opportunity for the girls, Kim Lay, Say Geok, Marlene and Sow Lian.
By the time we got back to our Villa, it was almost 11.00 pm.
Despite a very tiring day, no one seems eager to retire to bed. Instead, out came the beer bottles and whiskeys again.
These gentlemen don't look ready to hit the sack yet.
Seow Onn entertains us with the acoustic guitar. When he started crooning, there were no short of eager "songers" joining him.
David who flew in today only checked into the villa after we came back from dinner at about 11.00 pm. After finishing his Board meeting in the morning, he caught his flight to Bali, got into a cab to the villa and jumped straight into action upon arrival. He was all pumped up and excited that he down quite a few glass of whiskeys in order to catch up with us! Drinking at such fast pace, he knocked himself out in no time and hit the sack soon after. Most stayed up until 3.30 am with a handful of hardcore that stayed up until 5.00 am again!
29.7.17 - A free day.
This final day, we leave it free for everyone to do what they like. The only thing arranged was the bus that is on standby to take anyone who intends to go into town and along the way. Also knowing that waking up early would be a challenge for those who stayed up all night long, we got the bus to come only at 10.30 am.
After breakfast, most of us were ready and start taking photographs at the villa.
At first, it was all standard pose.
Then came along See Leong with his happy pose.
So I said, I need to do my jump.
And James did too advertising his DKNY underwear in the process.
The Organising Committee than said we need to do this together! And what a great jump by all, especially Kim Lay. She could do just as easily with her kebaya!
We got on the bus at 11.00 am. This guy is our only doctor in the group and he went to bed at 6.00 am this morning! Does he look like he is lacking in sleep ?
We dropped the girls off at La Lucciola at Seminyak beach.
Richard and Beng Lam at the entrance.
Heng Khen and Heng Siew too have their photo taken at the entrance.
Next, the whole chink gang !
The striking facade of Potato Head Beach Club is constructed from thousands of antique Javanese window shutters.
At the beach front within the club compound where early sunbathers lie on outdoor sofa.
At the lounge area where the window shutter walls continue.
Heng Khen at the beach front.
Fang Wee taking the shot from the same spot.
Where else would See Leong rather be ?
At the bar area where all the "chew kui" hang out.
Cheers everyone, it's cheaper to have beer in the morning.
The guys had lunch at one of the Ayam Betutu outlet. After tasting the Bertutu, it was not really that great. Maybe this outlet did not serve the best Bertutu in town.
At the main street of Legian for a walkabout. It was not busy nor was it exciting at this time, so we had coffee instead.
Paddy's Pub was bombed by extremist group in 2002 which killed 200 people. Today, it is still a popular place to go to for tourist, especially Aussies.
We got back to the Villa at about 5.00 pm and saw the whole stage being set up. The big karaoke screen is there, tables all dressed up and our banner hung at the lounge. The place is ready for our grand party.
The Grand Reunion Night - the highlight of our trip.
Our entire trip is actually for this evening's reunion party. This is the evening when we eat, sing, drink and be merry. The mood was set when we decided on the dress code, everyone have to dressed in bold and bright colours, for the guys, their pants has to be "stabilo" colours with matching tops. The theme also matches the name of the villa we are staying, True Colors Villa.
The Prologue : Photography session.
Everyone was dressed for the grand evening, all felt good and were looking forward to the party. It is natural to start the colourful reunion party with some fun photography session.
Some of those staying at Masillia Villa getting excited for the evening.
Before coming over, they had some fun at their Villa.
The boys in their colourful best.
Would you believe the center guy is one of the most successful CEO of a multinational firm in Singapore ?
And here is where boy meets girl, ala Indian movie in the days before Bollywood.
Scenes like this are vogue in India during our time.
CEO extraordinaire Woon Chiap Chan. He won the Top Regional Achievement Award 12 times, and accorded Lifetime Award from the multinational corporation where he worked.
At True Colors Villa, photography session is also in progress.
All of us are having our second childhood here, the excitement is just beginning.
Boon Kim and Fang Wee both in identical tops..
Say Geok going around catching up with everyone.
Happy is Han Siew able to sandwich himself between Say Geok and Hou Lian.
Fang Wee with Kheng Nyap, another guy with red shirt.
Pretty ladies in a row.
From Bali with Love.
And finally, we got everyone together for a "family photo".
The Cocktail Session.
On behalf of the Organising Committee, I carry out the formality of welcoming all participants to the grand party.
The informal setting at the villa during the welcome.
After that, it is cocktail session and everyone is still catching up with one another even after three days.
Kim Lay and Mei Chean as charming as ever.
CEO Woon catching up with "Russian".
The Organising Committee; this is the third getaway reunion organised by this same committee.
We did the same gig in all our reunions.
Happy that it all go so well and getting everyone else on their feet.
Random shot of the guys. All hailed from the same school and from the Class of 74/75.
Buddies since primary school days and have been meeting up regularly for the last 5 decades.
Lucky Das having all the girls. He never had this attention during the school days.
Liberty's CEO See Dip flew in only yesterday just for this.
Reminiscing the good old days.
It is now time to reflect the good old days and what better way than putting it all in pictures. So before the trip, the OC have been gathering from everyone their school pictures from those black and white days and compiling it into an album of "Then and Now".
We all settled down eager to see the album specially made for this reunion.
It was total concentration from all and they erupt to cheers when they started seeing their old photos from Segamat High School.
The Then and Now photo shows how much time have pass us by.
We all get a real kick at seeing how we were.
Some of us went on and achieve great things, like James. He is CEO of CK Tangs.
Sow Lian is almost untouched by time over the years.
The lord gives and the lord takes. The long locks that I had during the school days are all but gone.
MG our long cool women since school days. She went on and have a great career in Public Bank where others can only hope for.
Another lady that is untouched by time but continues to bloom. That is Kim Lay, our classy lady of leisure.
Everyone settled down to their starters, soup or salad.
For the guys, it was accompanied by beers of course.
These guys would be contented to have beers for starters, beers as main course and beers for dessert !
At the buffet table, food is plentiful. The kitchen helpers are on hand to help with the BBQ stuff.
We made sure everyone would have enough energy to party all night long.
See Dip is always happy with the dames.
Das catching up with Siong Seng, Kim Leng and Beng Chew.
Dr. Martin is a ladies man.
See Leong and I with the Singaporeans, Chiap Chan and Seow Onn.
Everyone savouring their dinner.
It is also a time for good conversation for it has been five decades and many have not met each other.
Sow Lian now residing in Kuantan.
Mei Chean now residing in Bangkok.
Chia Ee Ann now residing in Singapore.
Lui Suit Ching now residing in Singapore.
Khor Boon Kim now residing in Melbourne.
Ho Fui Ping now residing in Melbourne.
Heng Khen is staying in KL.
Say Geok resides in Melbourne.
Hou Lian is residing in Melbourne.
Chiap Chan is staying in Singapore.
Seow Onn is also a residence in Singapore.
Micheal Cheah is staying in JB.
Kheng Nyap is staying in Singapore.
Beng Chew is staying in Singapore.
TKH have been in KL since leaving Segamat.
James Loke is also staying in KL.
See Leong is staying in KL.
Kim Lay is staying in KL too.
So is Marlene, she is staying in KL.
Chee Cheong is staying in Malacca.
Hong Lip Peng is staying in Segamat.
It Pen is staying in KL although he spends a lot of time on business in Indo-China countries.
Fang Wee is staying in KL.
Kim Leng is staying in KL.
Siong Seng stays in Segamat.
Heng Siew stays in JB.
Mun Jong is staying in KL.
Dr. Martin operates his clinic in Segamat.
Das is staying in KL.
Beng Lam stays in KL.
Navamalar is staying in KL.
See Dip stays in KL.
60th Anniversary Celebration.
All of us came from the Class of 74 and 75. By Gregorian calender, those from the class of 74 are 60 years old this year. By Chinese calender, those from the class of 75 are considered 60 as well. We took this opportunity to have a symbolic cake cutting to celebrate our 60th Anniversary of living. We consider ourselves blessed that we are still together and healthy. The baby boomers have come of age and it's time to celebrate every good moment.
Lighting up the anniversary cake.
Everyone gathers around the table....
...and ready to rumble.
Singing to the tune of the birthday song.
all together now.
Yes, it's our 60th Anniversary.
A panoramic view from further back.
A panoramic view from nearer the lounge.
Truly happy with laughter and savouring every moment of it.
Let's continue singing.
Hahahaha. The joy of celebrating together is undeniable.
The joy of a loving sister who spreads happiness around the villa.
Singing to the melody of their time.
See Leong is ready to rock and bring the house down.
Some sang, others drank, while some momentarily catching up with their phone messages.
If you are not singing, you are drinking.
Some choose to catch up on light talks.
Das and Hou Lian duet at the other small stage adjacent to the pool.
The backstreet boys. They grew up in the backstreets in Segamat.
Drink and be merry. Say Geok is everywhere.
More joining the fun.
My good friend Micheal came here against all odds. He was dressed up boldly and true to the theme, pink bottoms with contrasting green top. Well done Mike.
Hou Lian too came here with the sole purpose to have a good time. He bought the red pants just for this occasion.
My primary school buddy, Peter Ong. We do catch up now and then and bump into each other at the golf club often enough.
Say Geok love to be with the boys.
Marlene,Sow Lian, Seow Onn and Das joining in when they momentarily stop their singing.
Intermission. See Leong quizzing both Hou Lian and Say Geok.
Both of them are here at Bali to celebrate their wedding anniversary as well.
Cheers to the couple from James and Peter.
Cheers to the couple again from Fang Wee, Kheng Nyap, Das and Mun Jong.
And cheers to the couple again from the ladies.
By now, many of us are at another level of happiness.
And the drinks continue to pour.
The cheers are loud, it's just that all are oblivious to it.
And everyone down the drinks just as fast.
Congratulations Hou Lian and Say Geok on your wedding anniversary.
While everyone is having their moment, the singing continues non stop.
Martin singing with passion.
Beng Chew taking a breather to catch up with the messages.
Peter is still going strong. He was completely out during the last reunion at Phuket.
Now Mei Chean is in the singing mood.
Boon Kim and Martin has been singing almost non stop.
A view of the party set up at the Villa. The pool is between the screen and the lounge.
Chee Chong in delirium.
Lip Peng in la la land.
Going, going...
....gone.
Now Say Geok is singing.
James and Marlene enjoys their singing.
When you have one drink too many, anything goes.
From the table to the sofa.
James singing back up by Boon Kim and Martin.
Micheal and Han Siew at the Mike.
Boys will be boys, even if you are 60 years old.
It's Singapore Vs Australia.
Singapore powered through.
After the arm wrestling, back to singing.
The Red Tops Trio.
Now it's The Four Red Tops !
The ladies are also getting delirious.
The Four Red Tops now join by one more Red Top, and guess who she is ?
This is the table that have been chatting all night. Here Martin is the target of conversation. He is too conforming in his dressing and looks. They decided to make him a non conformist, at least in outlook.
James giving him the quick makeover.
Starts with the hair, collar up and folded sleeves for that James Dean look.
Here he is, The James Dean " Rebel without a Cause" look. And he have Mei Chean as his beaut to complete the transformation.
At the sofa, Chee Chong was joined by Boon Kim at the end of the night. Boon Kim came a day earlier and was one of the more excited participant and was enjoying himself every moment in Bali. You can say that he was on hype up energy all night long and in the end, the joy of singing and drinking with friends overcame him and he lay totally flat on the sofa.
By the time the party ended, it was around 3.00 am. As usual, a handful actually stayed up all night long refusing to go to bed until the cock crows. But what a night we had. Everyone of us although tired were enjoying the camaraderie.
This Getaway Reunion in Bali is by far the best that we've had. For one, the participation is much stronger in numbers. This time we stayed in a Villa and compared to hotel experience, the Villa is so much more conducive for gatherings. We literally meet and chat every night till the wee hours. And boy, it was so much fun that everyone clamours for more frequent reunions like this. Many now want us to organised it every two years instead of every five years.
Getaway Reunions ; The Trilogy
The friendship amongst us in STS Clsss of 74/75 is not something that many had the privilege of having. What started as school friends in a small town, had created a bond so strong that we did not know could last this long. Quite a few of us already know each other since Kindergarten days, but most started as Primary School friends. Somehow, the Class of 74 and 75 were always very close to one another and we had a good share of mischievousness in school. While school days brought us together, the friendship cannot be taken for granted if we did not work on keeping our bond alive. Because we treasure our friendship that started in humble environment, we make it a point to meet up as often as we can and when opportunities allowed. Each year during CNY we would always have a date to meet up in our hometown. We create gathering opportunities by planning Getaway Reunions outside the country. That had created an even stronger bond. So far, we have had three Getaway Reunions and each time it gets bigger and better.
Our first Getaway Reunion was at Chiangmai. Twenty One of us participated and because it was the very first one, everyone enjoyed themselves very much. The Reunion Night was held at Holiday Inn private function room with full fledged service from the hotel.
The second Getaway Reunion was held 5 years later at Phuket in 2013. This time, we host the Reunion Night at Millenium Hotel which also provided full services just for our group. Twenty two of us participated in that Renuion where we have a dress theme. It's floral shirt and all are welcomed with a Hawaiian "Lei". Again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and felt so happy that they kept yearning for the next one.
This one in Bali held in July 2017 have a colourful dressed theme of bright colours as we stayed at True Colours Villa. This time, we had thirty four participants which is the strongest ever. And what more, we were all in our own world and had even much more joy and fun that we want this every two years now!
With god blessing, we will still be rocking be at our next Getaway Reunion.
FRIENDS ARE THE SIBLINGS GOD NEVER GAVE US.
.
Our next place of interest is the Uluwatu Temple or Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the six key temples believed to be Bali's spiritual pillars. The horrendous traffic jam took 3 hours to reach although the distance is only 40 km ! It was about 5.30 pm when we arrived.
Hindu influence had spread far and wide not just to Bali. Hanuman was actually the inspiration to the Chinese legendary Monkey God born from a rock at Huaguo San, China. It was later popularised in the epic Journey to the West where the same creature that possessed super human power and accompanies Sun Wukong to India in search of the Sutras.
It was dark when we left Uluwatu and the traffic was heavy towards Jimbaran Beach. That's our venue for dinner and looks like all tourist from Uluwatu were also headed for the same beach.
By the time we got back to our Villa, it was almost 11.00 pm.
29.7.17 - A free day.
This final day, we leave it free for everyone to do what they like. The only thing arranged was the bus that is on standby to take anyone who intends to go into town and along the way. Also knowing that waking up early would be a challenge for those who stayed up all night long, we got the bus to come only at 10.30 am.
Potato Head is just 5 minutes away and I thought why not drop by there for a drink since it is one of the popular place to chill out in Bali.
The window shutters adorned both side of the walls along the passage to the beach club.
There are three other cities where Potato Head Club have it's set up, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The Grand Reunion Night - the highlight of our trip.
Our entire trip is actually for this evening's reunion party. This is the evening when we eat, sing, drink and be merry. The mood was set when we decided on the dress code, everyone have to dressed in bold and bright colours, for the guys, their pants has to be "stabilo" colours with matching tops. The theme also matches the name of the villa we are staying, True Colors Villa.
The Prologue : Photography session.
Everyone was dressed for the grand evening, all felt good and were looking forward to the party. It is natural to start the colourful reunion party with some fun photography session.
The Cocktail Session.
Reminiscing the good old days.
It is now time to reflect the good old days and what better way than putting it all in pictures. So before the trip, the OC have been gathering from everyone their school pictures from those black and white days and compiling it into an album of "Then and Now".
This baby face is deceiving. He is the one and only See Leong who is the live wire and main connector to all the school mates. Credit goes to him for the strong participation we have for this trip.
The 20 minutes video clip features everyone during their school days and all gave a resounding cheers when it ended. Everybody love the "black and white" days.
The Dinner.
We had arranged with the Villa for a buffet dinner. In addition, we top it up with some local favourites and BBQ seafood.
The background music during dinner time was from the karaoke system and we played the songs of the seventies. It transport us back our schooling days.
The Souvenir for all participants.
The video clip that we produced specially for this function, we reproduced a copy each for everyone. The OC took turns to present the clip all one by one.
60th Anniversary Celebration.
All of us came from the Class of 74 and 75. By Gregorian calender, those from the class of 74 are 60 years old this year. By Chinese calender, those from the class of 75 are considered 60 as well. We took this opportunity to have a symbolic cake cutting to celebrate our 60th Anniversary of living. We consider ourselves blessed that we are still together and healthy. The baby boomers have come of age and it's time to celebrate every good moment.
Happy is the opportunity to celebrate with friends of the same age group.
By the time the party ended, it was around 3.00 am. As usual, a handful actually stayed up all night long refusing to go to bed until the cock crows. But what a night we had. Everyone of us although tired were enjoying the camaraderie.
This Getaway Reunion in Bali is by far the best that we've had. For one, the participation is much stronger in numbers. This time we stayed in a Villa and compared to hotel experience, the Villa is so much more conducive for gatherings. We literally meet and chat every night till the wee hours. And boy, it was so much fun that everyone clamours for more frequent reunions like this. Many now want us to organised it every two years instead of every five years.
Getaway Reunions ; The Trilogy
The friendship amongst us in STS Clsss of 74/75 is not something that many had the privilege of having. What started as school friends in a small town, had created a bond so strong that we did not know could last this long. Quite a few of us already know each other since Kindergarten days, but most started as Primary School friends. Somehow, the Class of 74 and 75 were always very close to one another and we had a good share of mischievousness in school. While school days brought us together, the friendship cannot be taken for granted if we did not work on keeping our bond alive. Because we treasure our friendship that started in humble environment, we make it a point to meet up as often as we can and when opportunities allowed. Each year during CNY we would always have a date to meet up in our hometown. We create gathering opportunities by planning Getaway Reunions outside the country. That had created an even stronger bond. So far, we have had three Getaway Reunions and each time it gets bigger and better.
With god blessing, we will still be rocking be at our next Getaway Reunion.
FRIENDS ARE THE SIBLINGS GOD NEVER GAVE US.
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