Good times call for... a beer!

When you bring together several guys who click, what do you get? Non-stop talking and laughing.

Da's old friend (SW) and Da's cousin (MT) get along very well with Da and his parents. It is therefore no wonder that each time SW or MT meet up with Da and his parents, the conversation never seems to end.

The dinner that was held at Hong Kong Street Family Restaurant tonight hosted by Da's parents was special because both SW and MT will be going to Australia soon. SW will be migrating to Perth, Australia this Sunday (18 January 2009) whereas MT (who lives in Brisbane, Australia and who is currently in Singapore for a vacation) will be going back to Brisbane in the near future.

Da and I had arranged to fetch MT on our way to the restaurant whereas SW had arranged to fetch Da's parents. The restaurant is located at Eastwood Centre, which is near Da's parents' home. It serves delicious Chinese food.

When Da, MT and I arrived at the restaurant, we did not see the rest of the dinner party. As such, while Da and MT sat at a table to wait for the rest of the dinner party, I went to the neighbouring supermarket to buy some groceries.

When I walked out of the supermarket with my arms laden with groceries, I was surprised to see a very sweet looking young lady (with eyes so light brown that other people have mistakenly thought that she wears coloured contact lenses) walking towards me. It was none other than Da's lovely niece, ST! As it turned out, ST had visited Da's parents today. As such, although she had already eaten her dinner, she was invited to join the rest of us.

According to ST, the rest of the dinner party had actually arrived before Da, MT and me. However, they were seated in a private corner of the restaurant and hidden behind a pillar. As such, we had not noticed them earlier.

When the food arrived, the usual "Do you want some of my rice?" routine was carried out. ST declined her plate of rice and offered it to Da's father and SW. At the same time, I gave Da's father half of my rice (I need to maintain my figure, you know.... *grin*). As such, Da's father effectively ended up with double portion of rice, that is, his own portion, 1/2 of ST's portion and 1/2 of my portion! Not to worry, FIL... you are a "growing boy" and can eat more rice. Besides, look upon it as double blessing!

I have always enjoyed the company of SW and MT. Not only do they have a good sense of humour, they are not afraid to joke about themselves. Best of all, they can tell a joke with a straight face.

My mother and SW are colleagues in the sense that the respective companies that they work for are related. However, SW has since left his company (to migrate to Perth). My mother would have loved to join us for dinner tonight if not for the fact that she already had a dinner appointment with her colleagues. Not to worry - SW will be back in Singapore in about a month's time to tie up some loose ends and I am sure that Da's parents will be arranging another dinner when the time comes.

"Words of wisdom" were shared freely during the dinner. For example, what do you do if you like to eat curry dishes but you suffer from wind in the stomach each time you eat curry? The solution is to take an antacid tablet before your curry meal and not after your curry meal.

What do men do when they enjoy each other's company and wish to linger on to chat further at the end of the dinner? Order a beer, of course!

The "beer girl" that you see in the photograph below is none other than ST, who was demonstrating her skill at pouring beer into a glass without the foam spilling out of the glass.

As the saying goes... "if you drink, don't drive". Being the designated driver for our car for tonight, Da declined the beer. As such, Da's father and SW each enjoyed a cold glass of beer.

I am not fond of beer but I do admit that I enjoy drinking shandy (which is a mixture of beer and lemonade).

Life is meant to be enjoyed. The company of family and friends is certainly very precious. Let us learn to "let go" and "let God". He works all things for our good and all His promises are "yes" and "Amen".