An Eventful Week End

N ormally, fridays are often seen as the summer breeze heralding the coming of the long awaited weekends and it was no different for me this friday as it would mean dinner with my clients would be in store as usual.









This dinners are good events to sit and discuss the past/daily trials and tribulations of the week amongst the staff; the exco and me as their consultant and advisor to see us work through the problems management and operation of the pangsapuri often see. This time around, with the legal advisor and new manager's joining us for the dinner, many options and opinions were voiced out and plans formulated for the general uplift of the property and it's immediate surroundings.

It was a happy event as overall all views,opinions, questions and assumptions were thrashed out in the open with the big picture and  management values being discussed openly.                                                                                        
With the general consensus achieved  quite affably, we retired for the night around 10pm as tomorrow would be another busy day of wining and dining.

The schedule for the new day started early the next morning as we awoke to a bright warm new day. All sleepy and drowsy, i checked my sms'ses as usual and there was a reminder from the very affable Mr. Vincent low, sent the night before requesting I not forget that this saturday morning is the official opening date of the Malacca Club and we were invited to be there up front and standing before 9.30 am for the Club's welcoming committee to meet, greet and serve us.
Michelle had informed her mum of the morning's planned events and obviously mum in law wanted to follow us to see what the fuss was all about. Apart from Shoryn and mummy, the rest in the family was not interested to get up early to attend the Club's opening as Chandra came home quite late last night  and he was quite tired when he requested he not be awaken too early in the morning. Utheya didn't return home at all and probably spent the night at Joey's. So it was that the 5 of us made it to the club in time to witness the opening sans Mr.Vincent Low as even with the early wake up call we gave him could not tempt him to join us at the ungodly hour of 9.00 am on a saturday morning! We met Datuk Seet, Moidu,Grace and her husband, Cashmir and family; and a few other families there but mainly the groups in attendance were all the above 50 -60 crowd as i suppose none of the young ones could make it that early on a saturday! Eventually after the Briged Seni dance routines, the Lion Dance (and there was supposed to be a mrithungam troupe presentation also which i missed); and the SFI 24 Drums Troupe; buffet brunch was served with free flowing beers and squash ! Good Enough for this crowd, i suppose. (We eventually moseyed up to the 5th floor where the Club was situated and saw that the exco committee of the club were also feted by the management with their own Lion dance and Brunch consisting of Abolene, Lobsters and such in the 1890 Lounge !) That was where my luck was turned on as i sat there witnessing the Lion dance, the last Lion on the way out danced its way to my seat near the Long Bar and presented me with a mandarin orange much to my delight as this was always taken as a good omen by the chinese! Must buy number already. Who knows right?

When I got home later in the afternoon, and upon checking the emails; my in box was full of congratulatory messages from the old boy network on the succesful convening of the Inaugural Workshop conducted recently. It is heartening to note the passion and support that is evident here amongst the Old Boys as some of their work and emails were quite surprising.
Here are some sample letters:
From: Phillip Tay
To: SFACom_ChanWaiSeng ; SFACom_ChillaraChandraRao ; SFACom_GanKongHoe ; SFACom_Gunabalan ; SFACom_KumarasanMuthian ; SFACom_SimonBuenaventura1 ; SFACom_TayBanChye ; SFACom_VictorKwongHonKiong ; SFACom_VincentLow2 ; SFACom_YeoKianHuat
Sent: Sat, 18 September, 2010 10:48:04
Subject: FW: Malaysia Day -16th Sept ..... DOUBLE EVENT : FRANCISCAN WAY FORWARD WORKSHOP, MCCA + FRANCISACN REUNION, S'PORE.

Dear Committee members,

Another great job well done & write up by Gunabalan.  My salute to you Mr. Gunabalan.

Regards,
Phillip Tay

e-mail : philliptay@malaccasecurities.com.my
Private e-mail : tayphil53@gmail.com

Hse Tel : +606 335 8167
Office Tel : +606 337 6733
H/p: +6012-6231678

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From: Tan Chin Shu [mailto:tancshu@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 1:25 AM
To: Seet Michael; Chuan Hui Wilson Tay; FCKL EXCO; Michael Tan; Philip Tay sfi70; Balan Guna; Gan Kong Hoe Kong Hoe sfi84; vlow@pc.jaring.my; Choe Sim Chye sfi52; MinYong Wee; Ambrose Loke Bro; David Bro; Yeoh Jon Hann 93; Cho Thomas; Yeo Kian Huat sfi70; Cherian James; Vivienne Cheong; kutty; James Sia; vijaysanghrajka10@hotmail.com; Cho Michael; Ong TanSri; teckwah@linet.net.au; teckwah@carmen.murdoch.edu.au; Bro Rogers; SeeCheong Tan; Brian Lazar Morias sfi68; Anthony Chong sfi70; Sonny Chong; sonny chong; Bock Check Joon sfi75; Ming Wang Tan; hkwong@csc.com; Lim Beng Yau sfi81; Patrick Shii; Chua SeowYang; Shereen Ratnayake; Ong Kim Lee; Ngim Chin Kong sfi69
Cc: Seo KH Andy; Audrey Lim; fredyconcisom@hotmail.com; henry.yap@scotiabank.com; john toner; Leong YueKhau Anthony; Merican Ismail; mayday55@bigpond.com; Ng Kian Tee; tonychua001@yahoo.com.sg; dfern@shaw.ca; ooirodney@gmail.com; efernan@genre.com; cktbarry@gmail.com; Eric Chan (Home); Datuk Choy Yick Siong sfi66; Das sfi 53 Kumara; Ng Teck Seng Eric; The Franciscan; Jack White sfi54

Subject: Fw: Malaysia Day -16th Sept ..... DOUBLE EVENT : FRANCISCAN WAY FORWARD WORKSHOP, MCCA + FRANCISACN REUNION , S'PORE.

Dear FELLOW FRANCISCANS,



I am sure this day  , 16th Sept 2010, will  go down in the history of SFI as a turning point for our Alumni , our beloved Alma Mater and to all in love with our Lasallian cause.Firstly a thousand salutes to ALL FRANCISCANS  who attended the above FWF WORKSHOP in Mcca and to all who attended the  FRANCISCAN REUNION in Spore.And a very special thank to Franciscan , Dr. Wilson Tay '67. to lead & guide us through the Workshop  and Mr Ong Eng Kiam ,President SFA's full support of our effort.
And to all the  "young men" in SFA, Philip Tay '70, Kian Huat '70 , Gunabalan '84, Kong Hoe '84, Vincent Low '84  for courageously initiating this challenge ahead.
And, similarly TQ Kok Tong '58  for coming forth to help our Michael Cho '89 ( V.President ,FCKL ) in organising this FRANCISCAN REUNION S'PORE.
My cousin , Michael Tan '62  Perth , for painstakingly assembling the full "Position Paper" upon learning the Re-newed Mission that we in SFA & FCKL set forth to achieve.

=========================================================================

Dear Michael Seet '64 ,

Our tele-conversation this afternoon refers.
TQ for your much appreciated response for the Franciscan  cause.

I forward the write up by our fellow SFA  ExcoCom Member , Mr.Gunabalan, on the  Franciscan Workshop held yesterday for your reading.

Your immediate  pledge of a THOUSAND DOLLAR  for the ''SFA SCHOLARSHIP FUND " is most inspiring.

Our fellow Francisacn, Dr Wilson Tay presented us the all powerful management tool , the Paradigm Shift for the  transformation of  SFA.Now I realise how realistic & powerful this management technique is... Just a mention of Dr Wilson Tay & his good governance requirement and before I can explain to you further or before we in SFA have even make a slightest shift,you already decide to start the ball rolling for this very same cause that we in Mcca are simultaneously embarking. Please do spread the good words around.

I will definitely convey your  support and effort to round up more Franciscans in Spore & else where to  do their  little bit of "payback" and more significantly,for the furtherance of the Lasallian legacy for our future young generations.

In The Franciscan Spirit Always.

Tan Chin Shu
(President FCKL)