My friend Kong Chan

At 5:30 AM, we tried using the Gmail chat to call up Sarah and her family. Actually, it was Tim was replied and called me. This is the first time I tried Gmail. I had it on full screen, and the result wasn't too bad. We did have some audio problems, but all in all, it was not bad for a free program. I think Skype may be better.

Lena was playing with a green blanket. She had it wrapped around her waist like a dress. Great Gradma (mom) said she looked pretty. Mom could not stop smiling when she sees Lena and John Paul. She remarked how healty they are, and how handsome and pretty they are. Even after we shut down the video, she was still smiling.

During the video chat, Sarah and I talked a little about how it was when I was a little boy. Actually it was Lena who asked Great Grandma what I was like when I was a little boy. Mom said I was a good boy, and played well with the brother and sisters. From there, we talked about how it was with seven children and two adults living in a single room smaller than the size of Sarah's living room. Sometimes, I sleep under mom and dad's bed with Siew Cheong. There are times I sleep in the corridor outside the room. Some nights, after the mandatory lights out (our grandma believes in turning off the lights early to save on the electric bills), we brothers and sisters will still continue to talk in the dark, loudly, until mom gave the final warning, then we will slowly hush up and fall asleep.

My friend Kong Chan had called last night. We are going to meet at KomTar downtown this morning around 9 to 9:30 AM.

We met at 9 AM. After the hello's, Kong Chan proposed we walk to the old New World Park and have breakfast there. The park has been demolished. In its place, a new food court has taken its place. This goes to show how Penang people, the Penangites, love food. Where this park stood, there used to be two movie theatres, shop stalls, amusement areas. It was a full time amusement park. In my junior high school days, I used to go to the movies very frequently. I used to go to Lido theatre and watch a 3 PM movie after school, then stay behind in the park and watch another movie at the Globe theatre. I also documented my movie-goings in a log book: what seats I took, what movies I saw, how much I paid for the movie tickets, etc. That same year, I watched 364 movies. The park has a lot of memories for me.

I met Kong Chan in Form 4, and became fast friends. We went through Form 5, and the two years of Lower and Upper Sixth, then keep in touch through college (he went to the University of Malaya, and I went to Nanyang University in Singapore.) After college, we kept in touch, and still remain friends 44 years after high school. He is one of my oldest, continuous, friends.

Kong Chan knew I like curry mee noodles, so he just went ahead and ordered it for me. He also ordered a plate of char kuay teow, and 'pig intestines noodles" (it is just plain white noodles with sauces: sweet hoy-sin sauce, hot chili sauce, and shrimp paste.)

All three dishes were great. I love the curry mee, and the char kuay teow, for the spiciness. The noodles with sauce were very good as well. The sauces were very flavorful. It was so good I amost licked the plate.

After we finished breakfast, we moved on to another food court, where the New World Park used to sit. Kong Chan announced that the old Iced Kachang vendor have moved from the street into this food court. Of course, we have to sample it. Two bowls for 4 Ringgits, a bargain. I pulled out a five ringgit bill, and Kong Chan spotted it. It is an old bill. He said it may be worth something, so I gave it to him. He said if I have some with Queen Elizabeth's picture on it, it is worth more, and if it has Prince Phillip's picture, it could be worth as much as 4000 ringgits. I am pretty sure I don't have any bills that old.

By the time we finished the Iced Kachang, we have talked reminisced about every known old classmates - living or dead, so we moved on to other topics.

Kong Chan has surprisingly good and long memories. He remembers things I don't even know existed. When we walked by a restaurant called Eden, he said we went there a few times with the Sixth Form group. We each paid 3.50RM for a buffet lunch that included soup to nuts. I don't even think I have ever heard of this restaurant.
There is another restaurant that I remember quite well, but it is closed, and the building sits rotting, dilapidated, at the corner of Penang Road and McAlister Road. Kong Chan, myself, and a couple of other classmates have dined there a few times, on the top floor. This is a Hainanest restaurant that also served western food Chinese style. I remember a friend WC ordered steak, and what got served was a meat loaf or hamburg served steamed in a dish. I guess they thought we young kids could be fooled.