Hi All SilverHairs
Let me introduce myself, some of you may have known me liao, Ronlai, just join SHC only a month’s away. Am married for the last 44 years to a loving wife, Alice Tan, a half-blue Peranakan. We have two daughters and five grandsons. I was born in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, in a small town known as………………………… the name will scare you of……………….."Pontianak", haha, not "Pontianak" of what you see in film, but real life of things might had happened in the small town in the early days, that’s how the name derived, migrated to Singapore and settled down.
To reach the goal of being true SilverHairs, I exercise regularly, to keep my health in check, and make new friends to enjoy life, as time waits for no man. I go to Gym at my Condo regularly, doing the treadmill for half-an-hour daily (doctor’s order), and also do the light weight control. More often than not, we are also at times at the SBG with a group of about 1oo, including European, early in the morning doing the Qi Qong exercise. The breathing exercise helps us to control our Cholesterol, Hypertensionj levels and also Urine Incontinent, especially for people like us, the SilverHairs.
My interests in life are dancing (to enjoy as well as to keep fit).You will be surprised if I were to tell you that I first started line dancing with a Japanese Instructor, by the name of Suzuki ( I think some of the SilverHairs lion dancers will know him) at the Aranda Country Club, in the early days, where not even one Community Centre was organising it. You can consider that I am one of the "pioneers" lah, but now is very "rusty", no doubt. I also love Ballroom and Social dancing. Singing (especially the Oldies), Bowling, in which during my hey days am in the "200" leaque, but now if I can hit "120" , "tao chiu" liao, as the balling balls are gathering dust. Love fishing. Gardening, where I toil with my spouse, who also love gardening, she has "green fingers", mine not so green, but lighter shade. We managed to have flowers like "Passion or Pasiflora" (blood red colour), "Catus Rose" (orange in colour), "Forget-me-Not" (purple in colour) "Bleeding Heart" (white,red and pink), "Cup of Gold" or "Golden Chalice" (yellow)as well as the "Golden Showers" orchids, all in all in a small garden space to call our own, and to enjoy the sight of sweet smelling flowers in our twilight years. appropriately called the SilverHairs.
I love travelling too, travel at least once or twice a year, have been to the States with my spouse. We stayed in our friend’s place at Los Angeles area a small town called Rancho Cucamango, where the temperature can reach 40 degree F. you cannot stand outside the roadside more than 10 min. from here we went from West to East. We had alsobeen to Europe, travelled from up north, Sweden, thru Holland, Belgium, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Manaco .In the middle East were Egypt, Turkey, Greece. In the far-east, or shall I say near-east, Korea, Central and south Japan, Shanghai, Vietnam, Phillippine, Brunei, Vietnam, Hongkong, Bali as well as NZ and Australia.
Love good food, have been following the "makansutra" trial for quite some time, and now the "Lost and Found" To reduce weight,after following the trial, do brisk walk at the East Coast Parkway where am staying is only a tunnel walk to the East Coast Park. need no driving.
Lastly, just to add a bit more of my humble self, worked two years as sub-editor in newspaper line and later shifted to banking as a Bank Manager inan International Foreign Bank, for the later part of my life, for a long 32 years till retirement.
In July 17th this year, my spouse and I will be making a tour to Hokkaido for eight days to unwind, where you will find carpets of beautiful Lavender flowers, any SILVERHAIRS care to join us……….most WELCOME.
REGARDS
RONLAI
Ron, we met at the SBG gathering and fittingly, it was a mammoth & grand occasion witnessed by a Minister with a full complement of Chinese orchestra in attendance. How I wished my 1,000 year ago butty was there so that using his magical powers, he wd make Oi Cheng & Lily lead the line dancers to perform on water as the carps snap at their soles & toes.
I was surprised at how youthful you and Alice look. Now I do understand why. A kid raised in Pontianak and doted on by a loving Peranakans is blessed with that bit more vigour and virility. No doubt, you can whip a tiger more than you need the tiger’s whip.
Instructor Suzuki mesmerizes with his silky dancing steps, zipping thru his charges gracefully, not unlike the nippy 1-litre Suzuki.
Pls join us if bowling is again offered at SHC games day this year. Presently, Benson is the undisputed king but looking at yr scores, he might hv to surrender his crown for a turban. But of cos the true winner is in the friendship made and in the beer the lowest scorer buys who, barring the unforeseen, will be me. (So pls get yr balls out now and dust them).
Happy for you and Alice and do enjoy every moment of your time together in retirement.
Hi Tim Liu
A thousand thanks for your best compliment of the year 2007. I think I will strike lottery this year leh, with such a heartfelt praise coming from you. I can’t whip a tiger especially in Pontianak, but only an Orang Utan , a distant cousin of us. If you were to ask Oi Cheng and Lily Ho to line dance with Suzuki, minus the 1-litre, oh, how beautiful the three-some will be, especially in the presence of the Minister, but with a Chinese Orchestra beat of Boots Scootin’Boogie.
Definitely I can’t bowl with Benson lah, unless I am able to bowl with two right hands, and with a combination score with you leh. Hahaha I may be able to dust the ball, but need someone like you to help carry out from the closet to the alley, hehehe.
CHEERS
Ronlai
Do u know Tim Liu u r a bad influence. Now most of us r writing like u. Even our distinguished Ron Lai has come out of his ‘crustiness’ to heehee (pardon Ron- I hv yet to know u better …. we met at BG if u can recollect). Our poor English teachers of old must be tearing their hair wondering where they hd gone wrong in their teaching. But it’s fun for us SHCians right? Shiok ahh. No fear at our age (mine I mean) we can always able to switch back n speak d Queen’s language yahhh?? As the saying goes Laughter is a medicine unto d Soul.. Let’s keep on laughing n b happy.
Ron, I’ll be very sad if that was my best compliment of the year 2007 for you when I actually saved the best for you on Xmas eve when you hang out yr pionerring lion danz sock for blessings & presents.
(Obviously, you must hv waited for Alice to put on her facial mask (thus her eyes, ears were all covered) when you suggested that noti but handsome multi-somes. Heee, buy me the next drink otherwise i’ll do a KGB or CIA on you………)
In bowling I am a hustler so if you choose me as yr ally, well, woe betides you cos I may turn around to become Benson’s Hedges and even if you bowl with 2 rights hands and 3 right legs, you still die kuat kuat.
I really like you for so obliquely but artfully telling me to carry yr balls. Heee, be forewarned tho. Since I like Patrick’s idea of no capital biz, will sell yr balls to anyone who still likes rickety balls that hv lost the bounce. Then on games day, you wont hv any ball, heeee, how?
Cheers, tim
Yes, mamee ah Sok sor, tim ah liu has never failed to be a bad influence……..he taught ohkimkee to play with fire but he stupidly burned himself to death at sionglimpark; he taught limbanlim to turn tables and the bloke turned every table at margaret drive so was shot & killed, and after learning from tim how to throw humtum-bola, lohngukfong threw grenades at st helier’s……..
And yes, you hv yet to know Ron better….go meet him up this wkend, coffee house or kopi tiam or buy 2 plastic bags of coffee and go sit somewhere in a void deck with him, up to you, tim ah liu will sponsor.
Finally, pls go round up yr English teachers of old to join us b4 they tear their last but 1 hair. Surely you dont want to keep them out of SHC where, like you say, they too can keep on laughing n b happy?
Hi
so will I see u and dear loving Alice on 15 Jun at St James Powerhouse? :-))
JuneLim…”poster” for COULD HVE DANCED ALL NITE :-)))
Hi Pheng Sok
Thanks for your compliment as well, if you are attending many of SHC activities, not only you’ll know us better, but many of the new faces, and many more to come, as Terence, our hats off to him, is targeting 10,000 members, at least. We will see you on the 15th.CHEERS
Ron & Alice Lai
Hi Tim
X’mas eve is not too far away, if you convened, my spouse and I will definitely make our presence felt, with or without the line dance, may not be the LION or ORANG UTAN. She had a good laugh, almost falling off her chair,
spilling off her facial mask. If you want a drink, most welcome, be it Kopi-O or Teh-c-Koson, but no beer, as we don’t drink and drive, have to obey the law, you know.
Ron & Alice Lai
Hi June
Thanks very much for having a thought, we would very much like to, but having read the recent comment in the papers, queueing system, of entry and re-entry, it puts us off, this defeated the purpose of having “chop” on your hands.
CHEERS
Ron & Alice Lai
ROn
Very surprise u learn linedancing. Me more to tip top linedancing and not country. Well hope to see u dance one day.