Sirih Pulang Ke Gagang I : Alumni Appetite

- March 15, 2020

Out of the blue, I received news from ex-Sixers (Form 6 classmates) that my alma mater was organising a reunion dinner for old students. My old physics teacher was on the organizing committee, and he spread the word to those who were still in Kuantan. After some deliberation, we decided to attend. Would be good to see how my upper secondary school looks today. The night before the dinner, we received word that there's a theme. Whatttttt?! On my way home from work, I made a stop at Bukit Bintang hoping to find something that fits "Gold and Glitter". H&M was right outside the MRT station, so that was my first stop. Luck was on my side because I immediately spotted a black T with ornate golden decals across the neck. Was in and out of there in less than half an hour. Back home, had a quick dinner before starting my last minute packing.

The road trip to Kuantan was joined by SK, Gratitude, and my mum. We started before 7 AM (just a short stop for a meh breakfast at Kedai Makan dan Minum Zheng Ji, Bukit Tinggi) so that we could arrive in time for lunch at the old folk's home. SK cooked porridge, and would be in time to feed her grandmother at noon. Her grandmother looked well, but a little frailer than I remember. She still remember my name although she could be forgetful at times. Some of the residents had passed on, and there were some new faces.

Next, we headed to a goldsmith in town (no, this was not to fulfill the dinner theme). FYI, the gold price in Kuantan is better than KL! Mum wanted to trade-in some of her old valuables, and Apollo needed to get his gold chain mended after a close-call with a snatch thief. Spent a solid couple of hours at the shop getting things settled. Mum got me a gold ring, and a pair of ear studs for SK. Gratitude also did some shopping, settling for a fine gold chain.

Arranged a late lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Y at Tanjung Lumpur. Instead of Mok Na, Mrs. Y suggested a nearby alternative called Warong Paksu dan Maksu. Like Mok Na, the place is a heaven of deep-fried Malay food. For bargain prices, one can gorge on battered prawns, calamari, and whole fish! They also have laksam, nasi dagang, satar, spring rolls, ketupat palas, pulut panggang, and tebosa. Super delicious because of the fresh ingredients.

Ventured back to town to cool down with a bowl of cendol at Restoran Cendol Air Putih. Their business is so good that the use queue management systems that are common at bubble joint joints. Surprisingly, they make a wicked pulut panggang too! We were very full, but it was too hard to resist.

After all that eating, it was time to rest. Good thing that our Airbnb provided a self-check-in facility. The decorations were basic, but it served its purpose. Showered and got dressed for the dinner. While SK and I were out, Gratitude had the task of bringing mum out for dinner. Kit picked us and we arrived back at our school in ten minutes. We parked at the front of the school, and boy was it pitch dark. As we fumbled our way in to find the venue, we passed by what looked like our old classroom. Yet it seemed different. We came in through the back, where the caterers were working.

The event set up was pretty modest, and it wasn't a big turnout at all. "Sirih Pulang Ke Gagang / Sumbangsih" was emblazoned on the stage backdrop. Not many people bothered to dress according to the theme. Cheh! Within seconds, we caught sight of our old physics, inorganic chemistry, and pengajian am (I) teachers. Our inorganic chemistry teacher revealed that she was retiring in ten days. She was very frank and told us that she couldn't wait to throw out all her chemistry books.

Out of so many classes in our batch, only seven of us attended. There was an eight person at our table, and it turned out to be a hardware supplier from across the road. The dinner started very late due to tardiness, and too many speeches. Later than your typical Chinese wedding banquet! The food was your typical Malay buffet fare~ stingray curry, beef rendang, fried chicken, stir-fried vegetables, etc. Coffee and kuih was also served after dinner. Entertainment was provided by students and teachers. Baffles the mind that so many of the teachers could sing. They probably moonlight at some retro club on weekends singing golden oldies.

Before the dinner ended, we visited the school gallery. It was an exhibition of the school's history, mostly achievements of alumni. Luckily, we managed to find our year book, and also the original photographs that were developed in 1999. So much fun going through those captured memories.