Millidream II: Big 4 Staycation - Friends, hugs and kisses

I have had quite a few different good/best friends from secondary school till now.

Secondary - Although I have not met up or talked to Weiyu for a few years already, she is still my most special best friend. This is because she was my best friend when I'm a teen, when I was growing up and the at the most "emo" stage. We had so much thoughts and feelings, that it was enough that we see each other everyday; we wrote letters (which we mail out) to each other. I still have all her letters, stored in a big shoe box.

Then we grew apart, not emotionally, but in our daily lives. She's not the kind that make time for friends, as she devoted all her time to her 4 children. I fully understand how difficult it is to raise 4 children with a full time job. For me, I found it easier to keep in contact with friends who reciprocate, i.e. those who make the effort to attend gatherings, as these gatherings could be as infrequent as once a year or even longer.

JC - During school hours, I hang out with Aiwei and a few others. So I guess we were "best friends" due to circumstances - we needed company, and we liked each other's company. Nowadays, we still meet up sometimes (the last time was probably 2 years ago), and we mostly talk about our girls (she has 3 daughters).

Then there's also Lili; we were in the JC Choir together. During practice and performance, we hang out in a group of 6, and she could be considered as our leader. We were not the closest to each other then, but I guess we were fated to become very good friends later on. We kept in close contact in U, partly because we grew apart from the rest. She shared with me her romance with Bernard (from IT faculty, and who is now her hubby of 15 years). Then we went Europe together after graduation. During this month-long trip, we took care of each other. Then we continued to stay close afterward, up till today.

While there isn't so much "chemistry" between us as compared to me and Weiyu and me and Aiwei, Lili and I share a lot of intimate topics. So I guess she's the one that knows me best.

University - I got to know Hwee Shan during my vacation job. We both worked at the same audit firm while waiting for A level results, before entering Uni. After both of us successfully got into Accountancy faculty, I asked her if she wants to be my room mate, and she said yes.

I have very fond memories about our time together when we were roommates in the first year. Being roommates means that I know her mum and her family, and so does she know my. Together with Lynn and Wk, we visited her and her family at their new house during Christmas last year. The comment from her second sister was that I looked the same as I did 20 years, except 20 years older. I told her that it's the same with them. Meaning that her mum still look like the woman I first knew 20 years ago, except that she's now very much older.

Working life - To-date, I have a few good friends from the various companies that I had been at, but all of them are hardly "best friend". So without a doubt, Jocelyn should be the closest to the definition of "best friend" from the work place. Because she's easy going, so I enjoy her company, be it just a dinner date, or a house gathering, or a staycation (we did one at Sentosa the year before), or an overseas trip (place we had been include Bangkok, a cruise trip, Tioman, Tokyo, and Seoul). She's the one, of all my friends, that I stay in the closest contact with.

Right from the start when I wanted to do a staycation to celebrate my big 4, I had wanted to do with my best friends, rather than my family. And the best friends that I'm talking about are Lili and Joc. I wanted a night out with them, a night that I can chat with them till the wee hours. I have so much thoughts and feelings to share with the 2 of them, about how I felt about mid life crisis, about going "downhill" from the peak of life and career. I wanted a night away from family, away from the 2 most important people in my life, whom I had sacrifice so much of my time and energy for.

I ever thought of doing it with the gals from my family, i.e. sis SY, cousin WS and 2 SIL Winny and May, but it would have been impossible to arrange, due to family commitments.

Anyway, in the end, it was Lili, Joc and Ginny (a good friend) who spent 24, very happy hours, with me on my special day. We did many things that made me very happy during that 24 hours. Before check in, I met Lili for lunch, and I poured out all my unhappiness over some prior incident to her. Then we met up with Joc and Ginny at Shangri-la. We checked in, spent time in the room, had champagne, swam, dolled up, and went to the lobby cafe for evening tea. We laughed so much when we were together.

We took a few very interesting photos at the lobby cafe. The complimentary cake from Shangri-la was delivered at the lobby cafe. When we sang birthday song and had the cake, we decided to have the birthday girl taking photo with each individual. I was feeling quite "high", and suggested that we should kiss each other. So I kissed Lili on her cheek, Joc kissed me on my cheek, and Ginny and I kissed each other on the lips!!!!