Malacca River of Light Cruise
Touching base, connecting with one’s past, renewing friendships, and rekindling old memories are sound reasons for staging reunions. On the smallest scale, it may be nothing more than just a meeting up with an old good friend whom one has not kept up with over the years. A shared cup of tea, and exchanging memories may rekindle one’s friendship especially if one still shares common viewpoints and interests though that is not always guaranteed. While lovely and meaningful when old friendships are revived, one must try to not be disappointed when they are not. Sometimes and often enough, the passing of time understandably sees substantial changes in people. They are not the same people we once knew. Expecting them to respond warmly as we recall may result in a letdown. It is more realistic to not expect a friend we have not seen for a long while to react the same way as we remembered him or her before. It may be wise to initially tread cautiously until one is able to gauge the temperature of the reunion.
The large (class) reunion, on the other hand, may be on the other end of the spectrum. By its sheer size, although possibly purely unintended, it may end up being impersonal and even somewhat superficial. The nature of large gatherings inclines that way. Their function, that is, to celebrate the central theme (e.g. the reunion of the class of 1975) of the gathering rather than promote reunions on an individual level, determines it. Where it succeeds on the macro level, it may not do so, so successfully on the micro level. It may still prove enjoyable with dancing, games, and merrymaking. Be that as it may, further opportunities to meet up may occur. Humorously or humorlessly depicted in cartoons or anecdotes, it is a fine time to discover that the handsome guy one had a huge crush on is now a fat balding old man, and likewise with the beautiful prom queen of one’s final yesteryear. There is no necessity for such reunions to provide great or deep meaning. Its main purpose is to gather everyone together for a fun time, to reminisce over old times, and perhaps on a small scale, possibly meaningfully reconnect with some old friends. Large weddings and birthday parties share similar characteristics.
Is there therefore an “ideal” size reunion? Some may agree that a small-scale group gathering or reunion is more likely to prove more enjoyable and personal. It gives an opportunity for friends to engage in deeper and more intimate conversations and discussions rather than in exchanges of prosaic information such as how large a family one has, how many children are in the family, what one’s profession is, and where one stays as frequently happens in larger settings. Inquiries of such nature may even prove to be intrusive and objectionable and violate one’s privacy. It must not be assumed such details are for common sharing.
Some of the most enjoyable reunions involve activities. Consisting of games, excursions out, sports, or food, the whole idea is to not merely sit around and talk the entire time. Games enliven and break the ice for those who are on the shy side. For sports enthusiasts, sports are a great way to reconnect while enjoying sporting games. For foodies, nothing can be more enthralling than consuming favorite foods and reliving memories of old times. Some measure of organization is definitely necessary to ensure a pleasurable plus seamless execution of the itinerary especially if it is a jam-packed back-to-back schedule. Bookings of restaurants and transport arrangements may not appear obviously necessary but are essential to securing guaranteed seats particularly at popular eateries and restaurants to avoid disappointment. If a special menu is sought a pre-order is often a prerequisite with specific conditions to be met such as a table for ten or for kosher food. Out-of-towners may be pleasantly surprised to discover their favorite dining outlets have not vanished but relocated to new locations. Going down memory lane is an indulgence open to every person. Wearing retrospective lenses can enable one to review one’s past and appreciate it, the tendency exists to recall the good times rather than the unhappy ones with positive repercussions.
Weddings and funerals are also reunions. They bring together extended families and friends who are otherwise too involved in their own daily activities to participate in or undertake additional functions. Special happy or sad occasions call for a gathering of loved ones to meet up to celebrate or to commiserate with them. The same describes wedding anniversaries and the birthdays of especially long-living people. Any occasion that encourages people to come together, usually for a cause, is a reunion.
Lately, I had a mini-reunion in my hometown, the famous historic city of Malacca, splendidly organized by an old schoolmate who saw to our every minor detail to ensure a captivating experience. Not having lived in Malacca for decades, many of its delights had been lost to me plus the many developments there had altered the local landscape to the point of it being unrecognizable. The rare previous visits to Malacca had been rushed ones and nowhere afforded opportunities to revisit old favorite haunts. Staying two nights this time made all the difference, for one it felt like an ‘eternity’ even if I exaggerate! Our small group wasted no time in getting reacquainted. In even less time, we were whisked away to an eating food safari where, as said earlier, the famous Malacca eateries surfaced one by one from their new locations. I was delighted to rediscover them as my previous trip to Malacca had been utterly disappointing where food was concerned.
As well put by my organizer friend, what is there to do but eat in Malacca? And so we ate, and ate, and ate, sumptuous food ranging from toothsome ‘Nonya’ kuih (pretty small local cakes) and hot savory dumpling breakfasts, mid-morning snacks, appetizing lunches, afternoon snacks, and tantalizing dinners. Plenty of ‘Nonya’ flavors dominated. ‘Nonya’ or ‘Peranakan’ cooking describes the style of hybrid cooking styles of the Straits-born Chinese (Chinese people born in the Straits Settlements) that combine Chinese and Malay style food, and include the generous use of varied, fragrant, local herbs, while being redolent with pungent spices. Malacca still is and remains very much the heartland of famous ‘Nonya’ cooking. A special pre-ordered dinner (one week’s notice needed) for ‘Nasi Kemuli’ (Kemuli Rice) was arranged at Amy’s Heritage Restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed. ‘Nasi Kemuli’ is related to the family of aromatic spiced rice dishes originating from Arabia and across the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, to Indonesia and Malaysia in South East Asia. It is sometimes served at Nonya weddings and other grand celebrations. The traditional manner of preparation is laborious, but the result is delectable. The spiced rice is accompanied by a set of eight varying meat and vegetable dishes (or more) that complement it.
Among the activities we participated in were a Thai massage, and a cruise along the famed Malacca River at night. To my great surprise, the river cruise was a sheer delight. The entire river was lit up with colorful lights and made for a magical sight. Captioned “The River of Light”, it lived up to its moniker. Despite the cruise being quite late at night, it was popular with many takers.
The get-together of old friends proved good friendship does not sever despite distance and the busyness of our individual lives. Reunions awaken the ties that bind us. It is good to meet up from time to time while we are alive and still can!
Invite all of your reunion friends to this and build the number of your followers