"Jacqueline Koh
Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting around for somebody to give you flowers"

I wouldn't go into detail what a wonderful dinner I had today, but I shall share how miraculous & how fate bound our friendship together. My childhood friend, since I was 5. 14 years of zoning in and out, but what matters most is, if she's here in the end with me.

Went to the same tuition center in primary school. You kept asking me which PAP i was from. I kept replying you, Hougang's PAP. I was in Hougang PAP when I was 6. You kept asking me, really meh? Because you feel I look familiar. I kept replying the same answer, Hougang PAP!

Then i went home to ask my mum, she said when I was 5, I was from Paya Lebar's PAP, transferred when i was 6 to Hougang.

So i told you, I was from Paya Lebar PAP, and apparently, we were from the same class, even from the same clique. I even dug up an old picture. But now it's stashed somewhere, I'm sure if i go and dig it, I'd be able to find it! But not now lol, it's 1AM.

So, our friendship was kinda bleh, nothing too interesting. You knew me as the little scrawny girl with the retarded haircut, and I knew you as the tomboy. We met twice every week, for tuition. Bonded by same circumstances, LOL. Sometimes i meet you only once a week because you are always skipping tuition!!!

You quitted tuition for a few years. We had no contact because I didnt have a phone then, & we were too young to hang out properly. My pocket money was 1$ per day, yours was 5$, i could remember being insanely jealous and angry with my mother lol. You could afford to buy alot of tidbits lol, i could only buy a packet of potato chips. 1$ a day how to save and go town together?!

I didn't even know where's Orchard la! Hahaha, I was in my Hougang and the park downstairs world.

And then, you kinda faded away from my memory. Then, you rejoined tuition again when you were in Upper Primary. Lol~~~~ I remember once a year Mrs Neo would have an outing with the class. She would give us 10$ each and bring us to Cineyleisure -____- I remember taking neoprints with you & May. I remember constantly fighting with you over who to sit outside because I was afraid of May. Lol. Kept pushing you inside >.< And you'd keep teasing me about how greedy I am, keep asking tidbits and sweets from Mrs Neo and how I keep pinching Mrs Chua. You still remember her anot ?! Our friendship took off to a higher level then, by playing block catching, you coming to my birthday party, giving me a huge dog plushie which you kept complaining because you wouldnt wanna be seen with such a gay item. LOL! I remember during the party, you couldnt click with one of my friend - Rachel Kam. Lol, both of you were quarreling over water balloons or something. You were the fast athelete, the cool girl, and i was still the nerdy little scrawny girl, who thought the word - er xin was vugular.

Seriously, why were you friends with me? We are so frigging different!

Still, in primary school, you'd call me on my HOUSE phone, and asked me out. Which I'd have to persuade my mother for HOURS, before we could hang out properly together, to somewhere, say, Ciney? U brought me to sakae sushi I think, and i was like, screening through the menu, looking for the cheapest item to buy~ And then, we would take neoprints, go to the arcade, and watch a movie.

And then, you quitted tuition again.

By then, I had friendster, which you had as well. We kinda, kept in contact over there, and when I reached secondary 1, when I had a handphone. We communicated in an easier form.

I remember you bugging me to go to Cedar Girls, because you were there. My parents were very against me going to that particular school though, although I wanted to go there because the uniform looked damn cool. Because I was in Anderson, we always met in Toa Payoh to have lunches, and study. I think what kept our friendship going was the amount of years we have already knew one another. You were so damn bubbly, and active in sports events. I was the half way in between loser, nowhere here, nowhere there. A xiao ah lian in the becoming. I have a neoprint of us, me with my errr, half spiky long hair?! ?!?!?!?!?!

We didnt have anything sustainable to keep our friendship going. Drifted all the way, till I was 15 or 16. O Level period, both of us maturing, we could talk about choices in the future, the path of life we want to take on, life interests, blah blah blah. Went to the same tuition, AGAIN.

Studied together, now, it's more of me approaching you to consult on studies. Because i was playful, and once I didnt grasp the concept and had my foundation, I was struggling. We met quite often to study.

17& 18& 19, U were in AJC, & I was in TP. Went through quite a bit of stuff together. I am glad, I'm here for you when terrible things happened. Even though we arent the type of friends who will meet every week, or every month, but whenever I need someone to talk to, or fall back on, I know you'd always be there :) Because you have always been & I will keep trying to.

It's heartwarming how different and mature you turned out to be because a few years back, I'd never imagine myself talking to you like how i did a few hours before. The views we have on life, the way we handle our situations, how frank you can be with me. All these, is truly a privilege :)

I have my name in your name.

Miss Ling Yu ;)