Mitre Hotel

 

 

 

 

I used to rent an apartment at St. Thomas Walk so that I could walk to Killiney Road when I was running Rialto Italian Restaurant.

One evening, as I was walking home, I saw two of my staff walking towards the same direction. Puzzled, I asked where they were heading to. "For a drink at Mitre Hotel".
"You mean there's a hotel on this road?" I was not aware at all. "Then...can I come along?"

"Sure" the staff replied.

"Am I well dressed enough?" I asked, wondering if my outfit was too casual.

"Defintely!" replied the staff. I caught a faint suggestion of a smile in the staff.

When I arrived at Mitre, I was taken aback. The hotel reminded me of scenes in the movie "Psychopath". We had to walk along a long narrow road which lead to the hotel. The building was tumbling down! I looked up at the ceilings and wondered if any centipede or lizard would drop on my head. The sofas and chairs looked like they should be given away to the junk collector.

We had three bottles of Tiger beer. I was determined that should I go back again, I would bring my own glass. We went to the back of the hotel and suddenly a huge mouse scurried across. At first I thought it was a small cat! I was told that some guests were staying at the hotel. Sophia, the kind lady who was helping out in the evenings told me that these guests had been regulars for many years and were used to the condition. I asked, Uncle Chiam, the man who was runing the hotel, why nothing was done to restore the once majestic building. He mentioned something about family disputes, etc. which I finally understood after reading the recent news in the papers. What a small world. My ex-colleague from River Valley High, Miss Chiam, is also part of the family. Apart from Mitre Hotel, the Chiam family also run Sloane Court Hotel.

Mitre Hotel will soon be taken down, and in its place, a huge condomium will be built. Uncle Chiam's determination to hang on to the Hotel had actually produced something good at the end..... he helped to rope in an extra thirty to fifty million dollars, given the current robust property market.

The above reminds me that sometimes things work out for good at the end of the day. However, I only wish that people would treat each other more kindly and with more reverence. How many families have been broken up and relationships destroyed.... all because of $$$? If only we could make more $en$e of what we want out of life.! The late Nina Wang spent almost a decade to fight her father-in-law, yet did not live long enough to enjoy her additional fortune. Worse, it looks like now the bulk of her fortune is going to fall into the hands of a non family member - the mysterious feng shui master. It really reminds me of the Biblical verse that challenges us, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?".