Good Friends
Like most people, I've had my share of good friends from school and from work. When I was younger, they tended to be more guys than gals. In fact, my best friends in secondary school were 2 guys; one was my fellow classmate Chee Peng while the other was his friend in another class. We spent a fair bit of time, including getting our monthly hair cut, together. After secondary school, we parted ways and headed off to different paths. The guy from the other class attended the same JC as I and we touched base intermittently, but I lost touch with Chee Peng. The fact that he was the bridge between the other guy and I meant that we also didn't talk much thereafter. I saw him once in a while in uni but nothing more than the obligatory "hi" transpired between us.
In JC, my good guy friends were Adrian and David. Adrian was your typical ACS boy and we all know what mischief these boys can get up to. Of course, they are also charming and suave, as Cheryl my friend from work will readily testify. David was from SJI and he was studious and somewhat serious, but he's the one who stuck around longer. Last I heard, he's into special children education and is now working in Australia. However, when I got married in 2004, it was Adrian who turned up as David couldn't make it. And guess what, he attended my wedding with his wife who hailed from China. Who'd have guessed that an ACS boy would tie the knot with a Chinese gal but love knows no boundaries I guess.
In uni, my good friends were Loon and Selina. When I first saw Loon, he came across as your typical happy-go-lucky guy with a devil-may-care attitude. But the more I got to know him, the more I realised that he had a sensitive side to him. He can be contemplative of life and whether true love was possible. I'm glad he found his in the end working in MHA and he's now happily married with a little girl. We used to joke about how we should never gamble cos his surname was Su (meaning lose in Chinese) and mine was Liao (meaning gone in Chinese). I only became close to Selina during our honours year. She, Loon and I were in the history honours class. She can be competitive but I came to appreciate her fierce friendship and her ability to be objective. Sometimes I think that she's more rational than most gals I knew then. But once we started work, we drifted apart. She worked in the same ministry as I but her department operated ala vatican city in Rome. We hardly talked and I suspect she thinks I'm no longer good enough for her social circle.
Anyway, the friends that I know came and went. Some of them are still around, although they're not exactly in close orbit. Which makes me wonder whether its my fault that I didn't try harder to keep in touch. At different junctures in my life, they played important roles in my growth as a individual. They shared with me how they thought about and saw the world and all that was in it. Maybe they're not meant to be my constant companions in life's journey. Perhaps we're meant to traverse each others' lives as we move through time and space. Looking back, I do miss them and I wish I still had their addresses so that I can send them a Christmas or New Year card. Just a few sentences to say I appreciate their friendship and that I'm thankful for the time they invested in me as a friend.
In JC, my good guy friends were Adrian and David. Adrian was your typical ACS boy and we all know what mischief these boys can get up to. Of course, they are also charming and suave, as Cheryl my friend from work will readily testify. David was from SJI and he was studious and somewhat serious, but he's the one who stuck around longer. Last I heard, he's into special children education and is now working in Australia. However, when I got married in 2004, it was Adrian who turned up as David couldn't make it. And guess what, he attended my wedding with his wife who hailed from China. Who'd have guessed that an ACS boy would tie the knot with a Chinese gal but love knows no boundaries I guess.
In uni, my good friends were Loon and Selina. When I first saw Loon, he came across as your typical happy-go-lucky guy with a devil-may-care attitude. But the more I got to know him, the more I realised that he had a sensitive side to him. He can be contemplative of life and whether true love was possible. I'm glad he found his in the end working in MHA and he's now happily married with a little girl. We used to joke about how we should never gamble cos his surname was Su (meaning lose in Chinese) and mine was Liao (meaning gone in Chinese). I only became close to Selina during our honours year. She, Loon and I were in the history honours class. She can be competitive but I came to appreciate her fierce friendship and her ability to be objective. Sometimes I think that she's more rational than most gals I knew then. But once we started work, we drifted apart. She worked in the same ministry as I but her department operated ala vatican city in Rome. We hardly talked and I suspect she thinks I'm no longer good enough for her social circle.
Anyway, the friends that I know came and went. Some of them are still around, although they're not exactly in close orbit. Which makes me wonder whether its my fault that I didn't try harder to keep in touch. At different junctures in my life, they played important roles in my growth as a individual. They shared with me how they thought about and saw the world and all that was in it. Maybe they're not meant to be my constant companions in life's journey. Perhaps we're meant to traverse each others' lives as we move through time and space. Looking back, I do miss them and I wish I still had their addresses so that I can send them a Christmas or New Year card. Just a few sentences to say I appreciate their friendship and that I'm thankful for the time they invested in me as a friend.
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