Auld Lang Syne

“You need to get prepared before going to England, Dan. Go with mum to Dalchand in Batu Road to shop for some winter clothes to keep you warm. It’s expensive over there”, urged Daniel’s father. “It’s still months away father. You worry too much. I will be ready by the time to go. I have already written to cousin Keat in London to give me some pointers”, Daniel replied. “Gosh..I shall miss all my friends”, Daniel thought to himself. In the evening , Daniel received a phone call from Mike Fernandez. “Daniel, let’s call up all the gang to meet at the Kowloon Disco Club for tea dance tomorrow. The place has just been opened for a couple of months. The deco is really groovy with a big a- go-go dance floor. I know Ming Hong, Susan, Tony, Julie and some others are also leaving to study overseas. Let’s have a ball before we disappear from each other”, Mike told Daniel. “Well, if you want to go dancing, why don’t we go to The Tin Mine at the Hilton? You can dance to your heart's content; even pass midnight”, suggested Daniel. “I want as many friends to come as possible Dan. Not everyone could go to night club. Some have time limits imposed by their parents. They need passports; especially the girls”, replied Mike. “ Alright Mike, let’s go to the Kowloon then”, Daniel agreed. Janet did not follow Daniel as she wanted to finish an important assignment to pass up on Monday.
It was noon and the disco was crowded with noisy, jubilant youngsters. The boys came dressed with bell-bottomed trousers, leather boots and the girls with psychedelic blouses and miniskirts; all looking forward to having a jolly good time. They were dancing, singing, and drinking in the thickly smoked atmosphere. The Serenade boys and their mates were enjoying themselves in the corner with a little party of their own. They were showing off their disco dancing skills with some suave moves, copied from the movies and magazines. They were dancing the a-go-go, rock and roll, twist and jive. Just about anything that came to mind. “Daniel, do you still remember the autographs of those famous Hong Kong movie stars and singers that you showed me when we were in primary school? Well, to this day, I still wonder how you got those autographs?” Julie asked Daniel out of the blue.
Daniel starts to recall this phase of his early childhood. He has an uncle who used to work as a food and beverage manager in the Majestic Hotel. The Majestic, as it was called in those days, was situated opposite the Malayan Railways at Damansara Road. It was built on the top of a hill overlooking Kuala Lumpur town. It was THE Hotel in its hay days and was frequented by the British residents, mostly army officers with their wives and girlfriends. The Majestic Hotel was famous for its Christmas parties and New Year balls. British colonial imperial officers, soldiers, their wives and friends often held merry and noisy parties there. They would shoot fire works into the skies which could be seen and heard miles away. On top of the Malayan Railways Building was the Station Hotel. Behind the Malayan Railways is the Klang River. Whilst The Majestic served the most delicious Western cuisine in town, the Station Hotel was famous for its English breakfast of toasted breads, eggs and ham. The surrounding area sprung some classical colonial buildings which housed various government departments, such as the Income Tax Department, Road Transport Department and National Registry etc. South of the Malayan Railways is Brickfields Road. And behind the Malayan Railways across the Klang River is Kampong Attap. China town is sandwiched between the Malayan Railways and Kampong Attap, while further north is Kampong Bharu. The area surrounding the Malayan Railways, within a radius of 5 miles, was truly the melting pot of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures. There are two large football fields lying next to each other in Brickfields. Thus, Brickfields was famous for its football. The Hon Ching Football Club has its roots there. In Kampong Attap, the Selangor Badminton Association has its humble beginning there where it has produced many top national and world-class players. Football was also very popular in Kampong Bharu. But, it was kite flying that caught the imagination of many. The peaceful co-existence and blissful harmony among these races was openly admired by foreigners and celebrated by government leaders of the day. Perhaps they were bonded from the hardships they had undured through the Japanese Occupation and their burning desire to gain independence from the British. The Malayan Railways played a very significant role in uniting families and bridging the cultures of the Malayan peoples. It was the final stop for many travelers as well immigrants. The Chinese immigrants braved high treacherous seas in crowded and often malaria infested junks to escape hardships in Mainland China. Many of these Chinese junks landed in Trengganu, Kuantan, Singapura and Klang. Upon arriving the seaports, many boarded the Malayan Railways making their way to Kuala Lumpur to be united with their loved ones . They were met at the Malayan Railways Terminal by weeping relatives, waiting anxiously for their arrival to be united and to make their homes in Malaya. Many Chinese immigrants were employed as cooks by the British to work in their colonial homes and in clubs such as the Selangor Club and Lake Club. In not far way China Town, it was bustled with the rice, sugar and spice trades. Many educated local Indians landed well-paid white collared jobs in the various government departments. Many of them spoke perfect English, with true-blue accent and slang picked up from their British supervisors.
One day, Daniel heard from his mother that some famous actresses and singers from Hong Kong were coming to perform in Kuala Lumpur. They would be staying at the Majestic Hotel. Daniel was really excited about the news. He knew each of their names and the movies in which they acted in or songs they had sung on the radio. His parents used to take him to their movies shown in cinemas such as the Capitol, Federal, Rex and Lido and to their performances and concerts held in the BB Park (Bukit Bintang Park). Determined to meet his idols, one day after school, instead of going straight home, Daniel took a bus and headed to The Majestic. “What are you doing here Dan?!”, his surprised uncle asked. “Uncle Pok, please can you allow me to go to the 3rd floor to meet them? I want them to autograph my photos,…here..”, Daniel proceeded to show his uncle some photos of the famous stars who stayed in The Majestic. He had bought some candies from the shops. Those days, the shop owners would put photos of famous stars and singers in the candy wrappers to attract adoring youngsters to buy their candies. “No! Certainly, Not. It’s high security here!”, Uncle Pok replied with a stern voice. “Please, please, please…Uncle Pok, please. I love them so much. I dream of them of them so much. I won’t tell anyone. I won’t tell anyone you are my Uncle, I will go upstairs quietly without people knowing...Ok Uncle Pok?”, pleaded Daniel with tears in his eyes. “OK. Be quick Ok? And get one for your cousin Meng too!”. Uncle Pok gave in. His son Meng is also a die-hard fan. So, Daniel tiptoed upstairs. He knocked at their doors, one by one. “Oh, you are so young and you look just like my son. Do you want a chocolate? Come in”, one of them offered. Daniel couldn’t believe his luck. It was Li Li Hwa!. And so at the end of this adventure, Daniel managed to also get autographs personally signed by Ge Lan, Lin Dai, Lin Chui, Wang Hwa, Patrick Tze and others, who were some of the most famous actors and actresses of the day. Daniel slotted their autographed photos inside his colorful album. He would bring it to school and showed them to his classmates. He loved showing his album to his friends. He loved to watch them envious with green. Janet now knew.
The resident band at the Kowloon Tea Dance Hall was The Rhythm Boys. They were a group of musically talented school boys hailed from Setapak. They have made a name for themselves playing in tea dances and week-end school parties and had a group of die-hard followers. During their break, Jimmy went to the juke box and slotted some 10 cent coins into the machine to play some records. The first song he selected was an old song from a movie called Kid Galahad, starred and sung by no other than Elvis Presley. Daniel and his friends instinctively joined in to sing along with Elvis.
“I've got to follow that dream wherever that dream may lead……
I've got to follow that dream to find the love I need
When your heart gets restless, time to move along
When your heart gets weary, time to sing a song
But when a dream is calling you,
There's just one thing that you can do
Well, you gotta follow that dream wherever that dream may lead
You gotta follow that dream to find the love you need

Keep a-movin, move along, keep a moving….

Got to find me someone whose heart is free
Someone to look for my dream with me
And when I find her I may find out
Just what my dreams are all about
I've got to follow that dream wherever that dream may lead….
I've got to follow that dream to find the love I need
I've got to follow that dream wherever that dream may lead
I've got to follow that dream to find the love I need

Keep a-movin, move along
Keep a-movin, move along……………..”
This was followed by another sing along all-time favourite; a song by the Beatles song.
“One day, you’ll look to see I’ve gone,
For tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun.
Some day you’ll know I was the one
But tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun.
And now the time has come and so my love I must go,
And though I lose a friend in the end you will know, oh, oh……
One day you’ll find that I have gone,
But tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun”.
The boys and girls were really having a good time; cementing their friendships and reliving their past. Finally it was time to say goodbye.
As they walked out of the Kowloon and into the street, appropriately, Julie began to sing Auld Lang Syne and they all joined in:

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never bro’t to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
And here’s my hand, my thrusty frien’, and gie’s a hand o’thine;
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne”.