A Walk Down Memory Lane.. Cameron Highlands

Fond memories.. these are what we're left with with the passing of time. And sometimes, if we're fortunate enough, we are reminded of them. And one of the things I did immediately we arrived home was to look at my old photos... I was searching for the remnants of my connection to the place that I had just spent my weekend.

This pic is 27 years old! Ringlet... Chris (Yoke Leen) and John were kind enough to take us to their friend's orchid farm. We passed by Ringlet and Ah Chye's Bungalow. After 27 years, it's still there! But it was still recognizable from the road. 8) The above pic was my first MYF Camp back in 1983!...

The end of Form 3 was something we looked forward to for we'd be 'promoted' to the MYF... promotion to the big league. That meant we finally could rub shoulders with the bigger bros and sis. It was a big deal to us... 8)

Being kiddoes, it was naturally an exciting time. I remember Ah Bau and the small bamboo 'table'. Each group at the camp was supposed to build something with four legs and it had to be sturdy. The engineer in him came up with a small stool.. which he claimed could take the weight of a man; and it really could. It was the sturdiest structure. There were groups whose structures collapsed as the judges tested their durability. But we didn't win cos ours wasn't to specification. And also the talent time... creative use of pots, pans, glasses, chopsticks; can't remember what other kitchen utensils were used as musical instruments apart from the guitar and I remembered being wowed by the beauty of the music that we actually produced.

The girls would stay in the bungalow above. The boys stayed in the lower one and we'd have all our sessions in the boys' bungalow. Somehow, as I write this, I am taken back to the nights, shivering and walking up to our dormitory after the night sessions. My sis was supposed to go but didn't cos that was the year the STPM questions bocor.

And it was also the first time I went and did some serious hiking... And boy! It was not really kid's play. We scaled Gunung Beremban! It was a long and ardous hike but one that really reminded me of how the boys made sure everyone of us made it up.

This I think was the 2nd time up Gunung Beremban in 1985. We had a sketch competition up there. We started the hike at 0700 and it took about 4-5 hours to reach the summit as we had to cut our own path. There weren't that many hiking trails like now back then. We had some fun up there - jungle survival skills, games on the way up, sketches.

MYF Camps were fun. Not only did they challenge us to reflect on our faiths but creativity and fun were always encouraged. Many of us always felt that the week long camp was never quite enough!

This is that 1985 Camp at SK Convent at Tanah Rata... over 100 of us! 25 years have passed! Our MYF camps used to draw in over 100 campers ! Camps were always held in December.

This was after my SPM... It was especially poignant cos a few of us left for further studies overseas after that. Where are we all now? Different parts of the country and world... in various fields. But because of the close ties that we forged through such camps and also the MYF weekly meets, many of us still share that sort of familiarity. And I think I've spoken to everyone of them at least once in the last 12 months. Yoke Leen (our guide for the day) is also one such friend. For this particular camp, Dr. David Burfield was the speaker.

This is SK Convent now. I went back there with Other Half during our recent trip last weekend and we walked the grounds outside the church. The hall where we had our sessions is now a kindergarten, the caretaker told us. We couldn't walk the corridors of the school as it is now fenced and locked up! The church meets upstairs now. And this SK Convent admits male students, always had! When I compared the photos, I noticed that the old bougainvillea is still there! If only it talks, I'm sure it has lots to tell.

MYF Camps... they played a role in shaping our characters. We were challenged to rise above ourselves, to honour God in all that we do. And in my own experience, I've learned that if we put God first in our lives, all other things will fall into their places too! It's people like Keng Neo, Hui Ching (Mrs. Tan), Kay Bin, Chick Seng, Ms Teoh, Mrs. Tay, Ching Mooi and so many others who came after them, who shared a big part of their lives with us... they were good influence in our growing up years. And it was something that demanded a lot of sacrifices on their part. I'm (Other Half too) blessed and indebted...

It's been almost 30 years... at that time when you'd think that time would stop for you. It doesn't! Now I'm left looking back into those days when everything was an adventure, and I'm humbled by the blessings come my way!