MHS66 Reunion in Melbourne

by John Tan
(Melbourne, Australia)

Chen Siew Ik (CSI) & Mrs. Siew Ik arrived in Melbourne airport at 7.00am on Wednesday, 13th October 2010, in their Singapore hot weather gear, a little under-dressed for Melbourne's cool spring, wet weather.

CSI indulged in a "free" fish & chips meal at the Casino (compliments of his membership of the Crown Casino).

Beck Chiang organised a lovely dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.

Also in attendance was Wilson Cheah, Hiow Pie, ZS & Sandia and, of course, Mr & Mrs CSI.

Saturday (16th October 2010)

Beck Chiang most generously sacrificed his day of rest to drive Mr & Mrs CSI around. It was cold in the morning with snow reported some 30kms away in Kinglake. The afternoon fined up with bright sunshine but a biting cool wind.

BC took them to a winery on the Mornington Peninsula and CSI bought a bottle of decent wine. However, he tried his Singapore negotiation techniques on the poor unsuspecting Victorian country winery.

He started by asking for a discount, then asked to keep the wine glass he was using to sample the winery’s amber fluids. The winery is still in shock from such an audacious attack arising from the simple act of trying to purvey a bottle of wine.

Then BC drove them to Sorrento – where they had a meal of fish & chips followed by a bite of the locally famous Vanilla slice, by the seaside resort town.

They then ventured to Portsea where the local rich & famous have their secluded beach homes.

BC dropped them off at Chadstone – marketed as the largest shopping centre (mall) in the southern hemisphere - while he had a short, well earned rest.

He picked the visitors again at 6pm. By this time CSI has consulted the local retailers about changing the name to “chester” because he can’t remember its proper name. It took me a few minutes to decipher a cryptic sms from CSI saying he was in “chester”. The only Chester I know is in England with its historic Roman walls.

Fortunately BC came to the rescue, picked him up before he could rewrite history and brought them to our home where we had a simple meal of soup and pasta. BC brought a nice drop of red – a Houghton Cab/Sav.

CSI brought out his iPhone and over dinner we all had to endure the rendition of a Chinese song, a Hawaiian tune that sounded so much like the national anthem of Malaysia and then the late P Ramlee crooning.

CSI flies out on Monday (18th Oct.) for Sydney – to attend a wedding.

The bottom line – it was fun having CSI visit and gigantic doses of poetic licence has been applied in the compilation of this journal.