32 At The Mansion

I treated my parents out for a special dinner to celebrate their 51st Wedding Anniversary in Penang recently. Yes... 51 years is a long time but I am not anywhere that old. I have confessed being the spare tyre or found-in-the-trash baby as being told to Dr. Nase & Fable Frog.

My parents are so uniquely a glued pair of Yao-Char-Kwai as their friends labeled them. They had never quarreled even for once in their 51 years of marriage except for minor No-shiok & Muka-Masam bouts by mum, typical of a married woman. Let me tell you their secrets! Their marriage is so precious as mum came from a prominent Thai family where my maternal grandpa was then the Chief Police Officer of Thailand. He was so damn fiercely egoistic and powerful in his hey days that his presence scared the shit out of many. I was never allowed to stand when he sat down, so I had to crawl on the floor across the room like a small baby bear! Sometimes I still shudder at the thoughts of the extreme Thai manners. So naturally, he did not allow mum to be married away to a commoner of no status, no car and no money groom. He tried to marry mum off to a long line of Thai hunks but all attempts completely failed. After their 11 years of Whirlwind Romance & Forbidden Courtship, my grandpa finally gave up!

So he threw them very grand weddings in Penang, Bangkok & finally Phuket where my late grandpa last held his CPO stint on that tsunami hit island. Those days, the troubled South and beheadings were so unheard of. So it was very peaceful when the whole South of Thailand was under my grandpa's fiery iron fist. What boaster I am but I'm just sharing the truths mah! 

My dad went on to work hard and scrimped every dollar to buy a cheap car eventually. Later on, he obtained a Colombo Plan Scholarship to pursue his career in United Kingdom after his marriage. He also came back with a Gold Medal & Certificate from the Royal Ballroom Dancing of London. He danced, sashayed & competed on the dance floors till he clinched the Malaysian championship long before I arrived from cyberspace.

So last year, they had a big scale dinner & dance dinner to celebrate their 50th Anniversary where many very old & wobbling dancers of yesteryears showed up. It was a tough time running all over the place to entertain the demanding guests until my head was twilighting out colourful stars! This year, being the only sibling around, a small quiet dinner was decided which I thought should not be compromised. 

I chose 32 At The Mansion after hearing that Brokerback Mountain's producer Ang Lee had dined and shot a movie scene there.

This is the magnificent night view of the palatial 32 At The Mansion by the sea.

The welcoming entrance to the old charming colonial architecture.

They have several closed-door private dining rooms for quiet affairs flanked by butlers & hanging crystal chandeliers. You will feel like a Baron sitting at the head of the long table. I was trying to guess what movie Ang Lee had produced.

This is where the popular dining area where there's musical band in attendance on selected days. It was packed with Ang-Mohs and Tai-tais who appreciate such old fashioned & charming settings for the ceiling-priced meals.

This is my loving parents. My dad is 81 years old and my mum is 79 years old. They still keep every strand of their hair black and have personal skin specialist to laser off any aging spots or marks that appear on their faces! They carry similar jars of special eternal face creams which only Empress Dowager could only enjoy during the Ching Dynasty.  I am not kidding you!

My dad still drives around bravely until reaching Cameron Highlands but occasionally got lost along the way home after buying groceries nearby his condo. His memory is failing due to his advancing age. They still try to visit friends and relatives England & Europe every year but I doubt they still have the energy next Summer. I stole this recent photo from his camera where they visited Blackpool in UK.

They went all the way there just to witness the World Ballrooom Dance Competition in Blackpool. I would think that was crazy! I would rather view the pirated DVDs.

When Hollywood filmed "Anna & The King" movie in Penang years ago, they approached my parents to give quick dance lessons to Chow Yuen Fatt and Jodie Foster. My humble father declined the offer and I was so damn shocked & very horrified!!! My dad replied that they don't need the publicity and money! Oh shit, I was grumbling for days over the Gone-With-The-Wind offer! Later someone told me that my mum does not support that show which belittled the Thai monarch. Oh yes, she is a very kau or pekat Monarch loyalist! No wonder that show was banned in Thailand too. Oh mommy dearest!

I will be deleting some sensitive contents in this post soon. What happens if my siblings found out all the leaked news. Twilight will be beheaded! 

You have a Good Weekend buddies!