Time certainly flies and we were quite surprised to receive Teng Chye's invitation to his 80th birthday dinner last November 17. It is hard to believe that he has turned 80; apart from greying hair and a little weight he had put on, he still looks very much the same.
I had forgotten how Teng Chye is related to us and when I asked an aunt, her story was so confusing that I could not make head or tail of it, but if I understood correctly, his father was my grandfather's nephew's son ... does that make him a distant cousin, I wondered. I had no time to figure that one out; maybe it's about time someone started tracing the family roots and document it before everyone gets too old to remember anything...!
Guests at the dinner
The dinner was held at the prestigious E & O Hotel, an elegant place to dine in but not very senior citizen-friendly as there are too many stairs to climb! We were guided to the Ashraf Suite in the basement and had to walk the twenty odd steps down. Unfortunately there are no rest rooms in the basement and we poor guests had to climb up the stairs to the floor above to freshen up! A nice surprise for guests was a gift mug in a pretty box complete with carrier bag.
Gift mug
The birthday "siew toh" representing longevity
As expected, we met several members of the family, both far and near and we spent the evening, between courses, catching up with each other. I must say I was disappointed with the hotel's food. It was not well presented nor was it tasty. However, as if to compensate, we had a very good waiter, a young Indian chap who danced between the kitchen and our table bringing the food, clean plates, drinks, etc. I was quite impressed when he suddenly whipped out a pair of fork and spoon for my cousin who was struggling to eat a large prawn with his chopsticks!
The highlight of the evening was of course the cutting of the birthday cake and it was wheeled in on a trolley by a waiter. Then it was time to take photos and Teng Chye obligingly posed with his wife and family behind the cake. The "birthday boy" was later asked to make a speech and he had his guests in stitches with his funny stories.
The birthday cake being wheeled in
Teng Chye getting ready to cut his cake
Teng Chye with his wife and daughters
A happy Aunty Mary (Teng Chye's wife)
Before the conclusion of the dinner, Teng Chye, his wife, daughters and other family members went round the tables for the customary toasts. The days of "Yam Seng" seem to be over as nobody attempted to bellow that famous "bottoms up" line. Perhaps it's just not done in an elegant hotel such as the E & O.
It was nearly eleven when we climbed wearily up the stairs and made our way to the main entrance of the hotel for our drive home.
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