Hello & Goodbye

There are perhaps only a very limited number of friends whom I share my deepest secrets with or truly think of as my ‘real’ friends. Today I caught up with one – and if I may say my first true friend. Others like Di came along the way (whom I miss terribly too, though I tend not to keep in touch much) but my first true friend holds a special place in my heart.

All those years lost, all those years we lost contact over seemingly petty matters – over ‘pride’ perhaps more mine than hers.

I realized how much I’ve missed her and you know it’s cliche when they say, you just pick up from where you left off and this was exactly what happened tonight. We haven’t changed much – or we have but this has in no way impacted our friendship. That easy banter, the comfort we seek in each other.

I hope this is not yet another annual/bi-annual affair. I guess as we grow older and as we skim down on friends and keeping those that truly matters around – there isn’t really much excuse to not make an effort to keep in touch.

It also taught me it’s always hard to realise you’ve made a mistake but it hurts more to let your mistake perpetuate and cause greater harm. I am glad I did the right thing to make amends.

Well, Chinese New Year the much anticpated holiday of the year has just slipped past like that. This year, the ang pao collection is so insignificant it upsets me to say it. Cannot complain though because in actual fact, I am not allowed to go house visiting.

CNY eve’s started off as usual with my own nuclear family steamboat reunion dinner. It was yummy of course, prepared by my dad. After dinner, we were all lazing around contemplating if we should join the mad rush down at Chinatown when my sister inspired by “Fat Choi Spirit” suggested that we play mahjong. So we set up the table and my dada nad sis started teaching my bro and I. Ok I’ve got to admit it, I am really a very slow learner. And naturally, I was the biggest loser, losing $9. Bleah, “Du shen aka Swee Hai” was the biggest winner.

Well, since we played mahjong till 4 plus five in the morning, we naturally awoke late on Chu Yi, even my dad who normally would awake early to prepare lunch for us slept in. By the time we all got up it was one plus. Since, we cant go house visiting Chu Yi was boring! But thankfully, I asked baby if i could join him. Not so much to meet his relatives but to get the ang pao! haha.. Hey cant blame me, i need the money to get by. Anyway, so he came and pick me up and went to his aunt’s place, where they played “dai dee”. After watching them play, do i realise that i am such an amatuer. I cant strategise and plan my moves, guard whatever as well. Mayb e more simple-minded. Haha, or in other words inflexible.

We ended the night watching movie with his mom’s side of the family. “I do, I do” is a fantastic show. I had no intention of watching that show but it was great! Exceeded my expectations. Ok it was very Jack Neoish but then again there is always the twist at the end. I highly recommend it!

Chu Er was another boring morning and we decided to got to my Da Jie’s new place to visit. Then we went to my Er Jie’s place, where my 5th uncle joined us. Thankfully, they were there. Of all cousins, i guess you can say we click the most with them. Afterall, we are all of teh same age.

Photos:

My sister and I with Regina and Edna

Cousins!

Regina – My favourite cousin

Sister and Edna

The “Phua Family” I must say have a gender imbalance with only 2 males and including my bro 3. Haha. Special mention of Regina, my favourite cousin whose the same age as me. Always have alot to talk to her about. She’s really easy-going and laughs at everything. Haha. My bro likes to bully her alot but she’s very good natured.

So Chu San, went house-visiting with my JC classmates. We only went to 4 houses but since one was ZH’s place i only received 3 ang pao. ok, four if you include the two i received in one household. My JC friend’s parents are so generous, in fact they gave more then my relatives. I recieved ten bucks and twenty bucks! woa.. ok i am amazed! haha..

More photos:

Sebastian, Harry. Sharon. Chee Wee and Zhonghua

House Visiting

Ended the Day with a KTV session at partyworld with Sichao, Harry, Sharon, CheeWee and Zhonghua.

And lastly (I am getting tired of blogging), went to the zoo with ZH and his family. Ok, without “the evil one” of course!! Have I mentioned before that i love the zoo?? Yup, i go there once a year! Hee.. so far this is the third time I went there with him. Haha..

The animals never fails to amaze you. Though, it is the mostly the same few animals, each time is an adventure as you never know what they would do. We saw a lioness vomiting right in front of us, she was purging her puke out and making weird noises. We were so excited. Then we saw a male GIANT tortoise trying to hump the female but to no avail. A dumb tortoise i would say cause he was trying to get up at the side. Oh yea, and we saw this monkey, propocisis? (ok no idea how to spell it) peeing. What so great you say, but it was his ultra long penise erected when they peed that was so fascinating. Haha. Ok these are just some of the more interesting things i saw.

Photos from the Zoo:

White Tiger.. My favourite in the Zoo

Together at the Zoo.. with Baboons ass

Zhonghua and Zhihua

Ok, this marks the end of this very long post. I am tired and gasp! actually spent an hour on blogging! Oh yea Mel, I have a new idea for my 21st birthday, hee and this one is original no ripping off from others!! haha..

Met up with my JC pals yesterday. The initial plan was to sing KTV but we later decided not too.. Hmm.. kinda regret it cause we ended up moving from place to place eating and drinking and walking in circles in Orchard.. haha.. first we were at Cineleisure food court contemplating if we should sing cause well only left with the three of us (Sylvia, Felicia n me).. so we decided not to sing cause Felicia wanted to save money.. n 5 hours of singing for 3 person seems like a long time.. so we went to Olio at Wheelock to wait for Kaili..

Here’s some of the pictures taken at Olio..

Kaili n Me! ok got to admit.. my hair is really quite black.. haha..

Felicia n Sylvia… Finally a reunion with the four of us present!

Ok after Kaili came we accompanied her to Mango at Taka to buy a jacket she wanted.. then accompany her to eat at Yoshinoya.. we were pondering our next move.. decided to catch a movie.. went to Cineleisure (back to square one) to see the movies timing.. but the movies were either too late.. or some of us have seen it before… or we were underage…

so no movies to watch, went to have dinner (see what i mean by we keep eating and drinking?) wanted somewhere cheap and decided on Suki, this damn cheap Japanese restaurant.. seriously the bento sets are only what $4.90.. damn cheap! haha.. but then of course we cannot expect much from the quantity.. haha..

Photo-taking at Suki

Kaili, Me n Sylvia…

Felicia, Me, Sylvia…

Felicia n Kaili..

Kaili, Felicia n Me! My head looks tiny… haha…

anyway, Felicia left us after dinner (Felicia is always leaving us early! boo..).. so the three of us went back to Taka for Sylvia to buy this calendar… then just walk and walk and walk aimlessly.. proceeded to Lido to check out movies timing.. still no movies.. then decided to go home… what a day of doing practically nothing constructive! ahhaa…

but nonetheless it felt great to meet up with Sylvia again.. finally a reunion too.. well hopefully we can really meet up during the sem like what Kaili suggests oh well..

hee.. i realise this post is written in very simple english.. haha.. hmm.. waiting to go out with Yiting.. she’s treating me to Tony Roma’s.. no.. she’s not that generous haha.. just using the vouchers she has before it expires tomorrow! ahhaa.. we are such cheapos… hahaa.. at least she remembered our date (that is to use the voucherswith me!).. ahhahaa.. ok lar.. bye!

The last time we met was one year ago. The same few (ok I mean three of us, Kaili, Felicia and me!) met up again. I assumed it would be awkward, with lots of silence, but minus the initial lapses of topics it was after all nothing like i imagined. It was great to meet up with them again (Note: due to the lack of vocabulary.. i am repeating the same sentence i use in previous post..haha…) We spent much time reminiscing about the past, laughing about how we used to snub and gossip about others, catching up on latest gossips and just filling each other with bits of our life worth mentioning. Haha…

Anyway, we did organize another outing next week for a KTV session this time hopefully everyone would turn up. I hope she does not do it again. I feel disheartened that each time I try to organize something she always cancels it at the last minute. I know I should not doubt her but sometimes I wonder if she is doing it on purpose, avoiding us and all but… The past still haunts me… I do not know about others, but I usually get rather excited about meeting up with old friends, so it is always a disappointment when we have to cancel it. And not to mention the number of SMSes that I waste. Last chance next Wednesday, hopefully she fulfills her promise. Or I would try to be like Kaili, do not care! But knowing me… Oh wel…

It is weird though like we have not met up for so long then we actually meet for two days in a row. Haha… today was rather unplanned though, they went to queue up early in the morning for the Mango sale, and I did not (kind of regretting i… but I hate crowded places with no place to walk! I like browsing at my own sweet tim… yea call me fuss…), the plan was for them to accompany to Marks and Spencers to…

But the Marks and Spencers at Plaza Singapore does not have the thing I wanted so Kaili accompanied me to Orchard. Thankfully, the Wheelock Place one has…Hee… I really like i… very childish but cute… ok cannot say much about i… anyway, the two of us ended up in Borders reading magazines and laughing at silly articles and all. Bet the serious readers around us were damn irritated with our giggling and all. Hah… but it was fun… just sitting around doing nothing…haha…

I realized that as we grow older we spend more and more time hanging around in cafes, restaurants, in fact any seats that we can find to chitchat. We would go out with a purpose like buy something, shop for a top, whatever, but after like two hours we would find some place to rest and sit there for ages! Haha..that is what Yiting and I do most of the Sats that we meet up. It is amazing how endless our topics are. Sure there are moments of silence, but that is just because we are swallowing our saliva. Ok I am digressing; this is not about how we spend our time together.

The main point is how nowadays meeting up means sitting around talking. Yea, it is the best thing to do when friends who seldom meet up get together. That way, everyone gets to hear about the other’s life. Oh well, maybe we are past the age of like always needing to do something interesting, always needing to have some activities to do. Now i know why cafes are usually quite filled…haha.. lots of lazy “old” with people around… with not much energy to shop and walk aimlessly around..

Ok I said that because the two days that we met up, we actually spent a good deal of the time together sitting around. Hah… And like I said Yiting and I when we do meet up always end up in some café talking. Our record was 4 hours at Wild Hibiscus. Haha…But i think in no time we would break that record! haha..

Oh well, if this entry is very incoherent, pardon me. I know it doesn’t flow very well, but I cannot be bothered! Hah… like I said before… My English sucks BIG-TIME now… Haha…the main reason why I blog less too, so people have less chance to laugh at my English… haha.. yea rite… more like nothing much to say… except I have been eating and sleeping and getting way too fat for my height… Bleah!

Till next time because I am definitely rambling with nothing much to say… Bye! And don’t miss me my faithful readers…whoever you are… oh yar and Merry Christmas too…if I do not blog tomorrow…that is..

Was cleaning up my house in preparation for tomorrow when my friends come over, when I saw the box where I keep all the letters, notes, postcards that I received from my friends throughout the years. I suddenly realized how much I missed them. My JC friends. We grew apart as we each went on separate ways and schools and no one actually bothered to organize outings anymore. So days turned to months, months to years and we still have not met up. I miss them; I really do after reading the letters they wrote. Was just remembering the times we laughed, gossiped (our favorite past-time), the shopping sprees, the aimless walks in town. I spent a good and memorable two years with them. Sometimes, I hate myself for letting them go but I do not know how to pick up the pieces. I am afraid we cannot pick up from where we left off. I am afraid of the awkward silence that might ensue. I nearly cried when I read some of their letters, we were silly then, writing post cards to each other when we see each other every single day! I miss especially two of them for they were with me through bad and good times.

I hope to meet up with them again. I would not let such good friends to slip by again. I guess all of us are really waiting for one another to call up and arrange to meet up. But why has not anyone done that? I reckon they are just as afraid as me. But I would be bold. I would take the first step. Oh yes, trust me I would. I miss them too much!!