Bukit Panjang English School Class of 1970: January 2009

Chinese New Year Gathering at Freddy’s House - 27th of January 2009

I have been tasked with writing a report on the gathering at Freddy’s place. Lucky me. Those who were at the gathering that night, please feel free to add anything that I might have missed out. Here goes:

Location – Seventeen, XYZ Gardens. ( I use XYZ instead of the actual name in case Freddy is not comfortable having his address made known in public).

You will note it is ‘Seventeen’ and not ‘17’. This will give you an idea that the residence is different from others. The word 'posh' don’t even do justice to the place. I don’t even know what they call this type of houses. And it is not just one house, but two houses with the dividing wall knocked down to join as one. It is an absolutely fabulous dwelling.

Anyway, I arrived at about half past six to find Mr. Chow, Bala, Kim Chuan and Kian Seng already there – the early birds. Of course, New Year greetings and wishes were exchanged, and I settled down to hear what they were gossiping.

Since the gathering was for 6 pm onwards, people trickled in at their own time – some alone, some in twos, and threes. By half past seven, almost all who said they will be going had turned up. By then, the buffet was ready and it was time to eat.

Instead of exchanging oranges, as was the custom, Freddy decided that he will give each of us a MP3 player. Cunning fellow! Now we all know why he is so well-to-do. He kept all the wealth we wished him and never give us any!

We were also given a copy of the book – ‘My Mother’, written in Mandarin by Freddy’s sister. Since she happened to be around, some of us asked her to autograph her book, and it turned out to be quite a book signing session.

After dinner, Freddy, who is very much into running – he likes to punish himself thus – started recruiting joggers to join him in his forth coming Sundown Marathon run. He had taken upon himself to ‘recruit’ at least one person from the group. He wasn’t very successful to begin with. All the uncles and aunties have all sorts of ailment, as you can well imagine. However, luck was on his side that night, and he found a ‘volunteer’ in Kian Seng. We were all significantly relieved, as otherwise, I don’t think Freddy would have allowed us to leave. Thank you, Kian Seng, for volunteering!

As the evening wore on, everyone was visibly more relaxed, chatting, interacting, catching up, and of course, gossiping. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It was a pleasant evening. The weather was nice too – it was not too humid and there was a nice breeze every now and then.

All too soon, it was time to leave. Time really passes when you are having fun. However, Freddy remembered just in time that we were suppose to ‘lo hei’. He had almost forgotten about it. So, the ingredients were produced and we all ‘lo hei’.

For those who do not understand the term, I will try to explain what it is, as best as I can. Those who know better can correct me if I am wrong. ‘Lo hei’ means to – loosely translated – ‘toss up’. In this case, to toss up any wishes that we may have, so that they will come true in the new year. It is a dish of sliced raw fish, Julian of carrots and cucumbers, mixed with a sauce and sprinkled with condiments. It is believed that the higher you toss the dish, the better luck and wealth you will have. I think, traditionally, people 'lo hei' on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, but these days, most people do it any time between the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. There are some who 'lo hei' when they have their reunion dinner.

I hope I am right and clear on the term ‘lo hei’.

Anyway, to continue with my report … As it was a working day on the morrow, we didn’t stay long after the ‘lo hei’. And it was with regret that we parted company for the evening. All in all, a very pleasant evening was had by all, I am sure.

I see that Freddy has posted the group photo. You will observe that there are four new faces in the picture. A big and warm welcome to Bessie (Chai Yin), Irene (Mui Hua), Polly (Choon Lin) and Shirley (Sum Moi). Very glad that you were able to join us, and we hope to see you again at our next gathering.

And on behalf of all who attended the gathering at Freddy’s place, a big 'Thank You!', Freddy, for having us!

Cheers!

Vincent