My apologies to everyone for being away but I just concluded a four-day long weekend. I took an extra day off to really make this a wonderful weekend. The highlight was attending the 20th anniversary gala dinner at my beloved St. John’s College at UBC. If you’ve been with us from the beginning, you know this graduate residence has a special place in my heart. This institution is now 20 years old. I was there for the 10th anniversary celebrations and it makes me feel quite old (but also thankful) that I was there again for the 20th anniversary.
The gala dinner was on Sunday evening and it was well-attended by many former residents, many of whom warmed my heart with their presence. I also got to meet the current president of UBC, Dr. Santa Ono, who carries with him a bit of a rock star persona on the campus. I definitely enjoyed meeting him, even if it was briefly.
The dinner itself was fantastic. The meal consisted of two types of crab, mussels, clams, salmon, baron of beef, roast pig, BBQ duck, and a dessert assortment that could have rivaled the buffet at the Wynn. It was an incredible meal put on by executive chef Clarence Tay and his dedicated staff.
The best part of the evening was seeing old friend though. Two of my closest friends from that era saw each other for the first time in over a decade. I didn’t even realize it had been that long for them. Individually, I had the good fortune of meeting up with them about once a year separately but all three of us hadn’t been together until this weekend. We spoke fondly about our good times and it felt like we were still living at the College again.
Alas, the evening was over too quickly, years of friendship reminisced over the course of just a few hours. Some now were mothers and fathers, and had to tend to the demands of parenthood. Although too brief, the evening filled my heart with joy. I look forward to the 25th anniversary.