A Tribute to the Girlfriends in my life

There will be a week every year that I will focus on meeting my girlfriends. There is no specific month or week, and not that I only meet my friends once a year, but it's just that everything falls in place at that week, everyone wants to just meet up that week. So it's that week every year, that the kids have to take second place, and my crafts third.

Then during this time, I will start reminiscing about my friends, especially those that I have lost contact with.

Let's start with.... Shelly. I forgot her real name as I must be around 8 then. Her family opened a small scale soy milk factory below my place and I had warm soy milk for breakfast everyday. We played everyday after school and when my family had to move away, we sadly parted and as a token of memory, she gave me a snail shell whose owner had vacated and which my mum had thrown away in disgust.

Then there is Jenny, my very first best friend when I was about 12. We played together during breaks, crazily chasing each other sometimes, or sang sad love songs loudly, or played house. We do have our quiet moments sitting on a grassy patch together, chatting. I don't remember what we talked about anymore, but I do remember the sun's warmth on my skin and the gentle breeze as we sat together, smiling as we talked. And I remember sitting there, thinking to myself... how nice it was to have my very own best friend. Then my family had to move away AGAIN, and more tears were wept this time. We promised to always write each other letters and stay in touch, which we did for about a year. I remember my eyes tearing whenever I receive her letters. Then we started to lose contact when boys started to get my attention... You know how things were at puberty...

Ok, then during my teenage years I have 2 best friends, Janet and Joanne. We hung out together in school EVERYDAY, we even sat near each other in class, and we even called each other from our homes after school. These 2 are one of those few which I'm meeting this busy week. Our friendship has blossomed to a stage now that we seldom get to meet, only on our birthdays, and I get jealous and petty when I see either one of them posting pictures of them hanging out with other friends in FB. But whenever we meet up, we're like back to our school times again! I always imagine us being in a movie scene, where we are sitting in a cafe physically, dressed in office wear and makeup. Janet's on my left holding her cuppacino, Joanne's on my right stirring her iced tea, listening to me just talking, but we actually get transported back to our old hangout spot. We are back to our specky look, in school uniforms and geeky hairstyles. Janet would be laughing her head off at my corny jokes and Joanne, being the usual one with common sense, simply shakes her head and wondering about her choice of friends. Sadly with families of our own, we have lesser time with one another and I always miss the times when we hang out at the same mall every weekend, catching all the latest movies, crying over stupid boyfriends and strict parents, and who can forget potluck lunch in my room?

Now we come to Dawn, Olivia and Mabel, which I have known since I was 17. We have very different characters, very different images and behaviour, but funnily enough, it's all these differences that pull us together in school and until now, learn from and teach one another. Instead of complaining about lecturers and selfish classmates, we talk about our ideals, our jobs and still complaining about our bosses.... well, at least I still do....

Then there is a bunch of ex colleagues - Florence, Vivien, Tricia, YT, Liz. We've been through the tough times at work, preparing reports, reviews, and also the good times bowling, dinners, and also exchanging gossip, lame jokes and complaints. We would like to meet more often, I guess, but with family commitments, flight schedules etc, we only get to meet once or twice a year.

Reminiscing all the good times, allow me to quote Muhammad Ali - "Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."