Prom Night is always a bit of a nightmare for the organizing committee; which is probably why after all these years I still refuse to organize one. Kudos to those who did organize this year’s Prom at the Empire Hotel in Subang Jaya, because it was very nice one with a good DJ, good food and lots of very pretty ladies and handsome gentlemen who were not averse to having their picture taken with an old codger like me. You can tell from my silly grin that I was not averse to having my picture taken either; in fact I was having a good time.

The highlight for me this year was doing some music with some of the kids I had the pleasure of spending the year with. Tan Swee Chuan, the colleague pictured here on my left, had been part of the CPU Jazz Band for a number of years. I have been coming out somewhat infrequently, but two of my English students, Chris Tan and Khabibah Munir are very musical and along with Chris’ friend Ben we prepared a couple of songs that suited Bibah’s range and bluesy voice.

Bibah sang ‘Cry Me a River’ to the great delight of the crowd as Justin Timberlake had done a recent cover and a number of kids knew it. No one had even heard of The Girl From Ipanema, and I guess that bossa nova flavor is pretty much a novelty here. Nonetheless Bibah did a great job and both Chris and Ben got in some solo licks while Swee Chuan kept up a solid beat. I contented myself with rhythm and stayed pretty much in the background as I like to feature kids rather than teachers at events like this.

I will miss this group of kids. They have been fun and most kind towards me and they have worked hard to ensure their own success. Grad is coming up in just one week and then they will all be going their separate ways. I wish them all the best!