On the day the two Germanys became united, I was the only person who went euphoric in the house - the rest of my Malaysian housemates in London simply couldn't care less. Watching the live coverage of the reunification celebration at the Brandenburg Gate on October 3, 1990, with a can of German beer in hand, I nearly wanted to ode to joy, as the background music, written by Friedrich Schiller and composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, was being played.

It was a reunification that manifested the spirit of freedom and joy - freedom from the Communist yoke, and joy for the German nation that had stood divided for four decades. Most important of all, it was a reunification eagerly and willingly sought by the East Germans, not by coercion of their brethren from the west (eh, I am not referring to the sabre-rattling China vis � vis Taiwan here.)

But not all Europeans were enthused by the prospects of a newly united Germany. The Poles were sceptical, Mikhail Gorbachev found the Wessi's takeover of the Ossi abhorrent, and Francois Mitterrand was reputed to say: "We cannot declare war on Germany to prevent her reunification."