The Toddy Night

 

Saturday 5th October 2002

Dinner:

Telok Gong

Port Klang

 

Sing Khow missed out on our "This is our Night"  reunion. It was reported that together with Jeffery Tan, they spent many a shilling calling back from the UK to wish us well and also spoke for quite a while to many who were present that night. It was certainly pleasant to have two schoolmates who called a few thousand miles just to try to speak with everyone who were present. Sing Khow and Jeffery, thanks for the thought. I am not sure how the conclusion came about that the possible stingiest bugger was a tie between Sing Khow and Chin Teng. It must have been the deadly mixture of whisky, cognac, beer, wine and frog legs at 4.00 o’clock in the morning. Sing Khow did come back to visit in October 2002 and I understood he met with a group of ACSian based in Singapore. I gathered it was dim sum topped with coffee at Star Bucks or something like that. Even Berne remembered to turn up together with Victor Chu and Cece. Kim Fui turned out not only in Klang, but also in Singapore. Yours truly did promise to arrange dinner to welcome him back in October. Chee Hong had taken a lot of trouble to locate a restaurant for us in Telok Gong, somewhere in the oil palms plantations on the way to West Port Klang. It must be for the ice-cold toddy there that he frequents the place. He arrived early together with Chee Pheng. It was quite a sight when we drove to park and saw the twins lurking under the swaying palm trees. Anyway we gulped litres of toddy down before Sing Khow arrived with Thai Sing. You can imagine the effect toddy on eight empty stomachs. Foo Chee Keong was about to dance on the table with Yee Kam Onn by the time the food arrived. We must have polished off half the dishes by the time Thai Sing and Sing Khow arrived an hour later. We were told they got lost and landed almost in the West Port in Klang. Must have been reading the wrong map we sent. Seafood with a combination of toddy, stout, red wine, white wine, Carlsberg and Black Label does strange things to your mind. I did not tell you earlier the scenario, table of 10, dim lights under the cool shades of oil palms (and mosquitoes). Now that their stomachs were filled with liquor and food, where were the women? These 9 batangs were desperate. Thank goodness, I always bring my contact list at reunions and gave them the phone numbers of all the ladies. When a man is close to 50, even small talk with middle age broads gives them unbelievable satisfaction. Even Ow Mei Ling was not spared! These men were exhausted after clocking at least an hour on Kim Fui, Foo Chee Keong and Thai Sing mobiles. Kim Fui, I was later told his bills were double because it was a Singapore mobile. The crucial moment came when the bill came. Everyone looked sober and took a deep breath. Then the English gentleman said," I will treat my friends. Give me the bill!" Sing Khow not only paid for the bill, he too supplied the drinks too. So when he says he will buy a round of soft drinks, he actually means more. Good on you Sing Khow, thanks for the treat! We drove back to KL for another round at Kam Onn’s usual haunts. I will spare you details of his encounters with mainland Chinese, Vietnamese, Eastern Europe (women not site seeing, you sillies). If only Casey was not so intoxicated that night with toddy, I am sure he would have remembered explicit details but I thought Wing Kwong was taking notes. Sing Khow promised to be back Chinese New Year for another round of food and drinks. Casey also promised not to drink so much the next time. So all is well and everyone good friends again. Angie Yen