Kuala Lampur, Dec. 11 -- When we planned our batch reunion in August this year, I thought it would just be a simple gathering. Maybe a dinner, maybe a photo or two, and a polite round of updates about life at 50. Something nice, something symbolic. What I did not expect was the feeling that came with it. A feeling I had not tasted in decades. Something warmer. Something quieter.

We booked a glamping site in Gopeng for three days and two nights. About eighty of us showed up, coming from all corners of the country. Some even flew in from overseas. And before we even reached the campsite, the reunion had already begun. Many of us carpooled, pairing up with people we had not sat with since Form 1 or Form 2. I ended up in a car with my old be...