REUNION OF OLD BUDDIES

Last Saturday I went up to KayEl (Kuala Lumpur i.e.) for a 'kopitiam' reunion with my old buddies from days of yore when I first started teaching at the Specialist Teachers Training Institute in Cheras way, way back in the early seventies. I worked at STTI for some 20-odd years or so, in fact stayed within the Institute's compound most of my life there. Thus developing a special attachment to the environment and a comaraderie with my fellow teachers and workers. So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to the gathering arranged by my dear friend, Saadiah. By the way, for those uninitiated, the word 'kopitiam' is a Chineses word a.k.a 'coffee shop' which is the 'in' thing now with the suburbians.

Anyway, I arrived half-an-hour before time at the rendevous, after being driven round and round looking for "One Utama Coffee House" in P.J. Since I was the earliest to arive, I was instructed by Saadiah to reserve seatings for 10 guests. Hmmm. . . the waiting was an ordeal for me because seated in the kopitiam were unfamiliar faces, and here was this grand-lady from Melaka sitting solitary at the tables with 10 chairs. To make myself comfortable, I ordered their famous white coffee blended mocca and pretended nonchalantly sipping the iced coffee.

And before long, they arrived . . one after the other. So you can just imagine the hoo-haas, shaking of hands, the huggings, the chatters among these over 60's friends. Yesss long-time-no-see! The last time I saw most of them was about 15 years ago. And Pak Ku I hadn't seen since his retirement in 1982! He was as chirpy as ever - hugged all of us like his children whom he hadn't seen for years! It was just like old times in the staff room during our coffee-break. Liew still with his jokes, Yang Siow Meng his face still blushing red after a joke. Simon has put on some weight, otherwise looking just as dashing. Nada loosing some hair but still the same Nada I know. And then there were dear Saadiah, Kak Sharifah Zaharah, Dharma and Agnes and also Kok Seng and Encik Hamzah. We were very noisy no doubt in the Kopitiam but nobody bothered. Here were old buddies sharing stories what happened in-between, about grown children and their families leaving the nests, about the many grand-children and even Pak Ku with his one great-grand child. We also talked about friends who had passed away, remembering their kind deeds with sadness. May God bless all my dear friends. We separated with a promise to meet again in the near future. Thank you all for making my day! See you all again!

For Auld Lang Syne!

(Kok Seng & Siow Meng left earlier so not here)