Of Christmas and decade-long friendships.
After a day of clearing my table, followed by my cupboards, on Christmas Day, I have managed to throw out a big bag of things that are no longer wanted or unnecessary. I feel so accomplished, and now my table has more space for my laptop AND my hands (I used to have to type with only my wrists on the table), and it's so much neater after clearing all the notes, papers and books that have been stacked up. And I realize that doing spring cleaning of the room can be quite therapeutic and calming, as odd as that may sound.
While doing the spring cleaning, I stopped for a good 2 hours when I opened the box containing birthday and Christmas cards from more than a decade ago and I couldn't help but give myself a break to re-read those cards and letters. As I read them, my heart was filled with a warmth that is indescridable and I discovered that I can be quite a sentimental person, considering that I keep letters and cards from my secondary school friends even. And of course, I still have birthday, Christmas cards, letters and postcards from the group of friends whom I hold extremely dear to my heart, the same group of people whom I always spend Christmas with every year. Reading the content of the cards brought smiles to my face as I read each and every one of them, and it's even more heartwarming when you realized that these friends have been with you for the last decade, never failing to take the time to write a card for you, be it whether they are in Singapore, overseas or even when both of you are overseas together and your friend was waiting for you at some random cafe to finish your day trip to the museum :)
And it's been 10 years - it may not be long to some, but it definitely is long, to me, especially since we have all been through the ups & downs of our lives and seen each other in our most glorified, as well as most embarrassing, moments in our lives, and stepped into the different milestones of our lives - university, army, work, relationships etc.
I hope that there are many more 10 years to go for us, and I'm really really very grateful for this core group of friends, because they are the ones who remind me of who I really am in spite of all the confusions and ups&downs of life and its nonsense - and even more so, who and what more I can be. :)
***
This Christmas has been very eventful, I would say, what with all the meet-ups with friends after a busy day at work. Needless to say, with Christmas comes festive food and drinks (it's a festive season!) and the only drawback about Christmas (and December at that, because of my birthday and all the birthday treats etc) is the putting on of weight. :( boohoos, but this year has been relatively good - perhaps it's really the case where as one gets older, his/her appetite generally gets smaller and hence less food-bingeing during festive seasons & celebrations :P
Furthermore with the parents away for holiday from last Saturday for a week and brother overseas for work, I was home alone for 5 days, with the luxury of the car and having the ability to ask friends to come over to watch TV after seafood dinner and spending some quality time together just to chill and relax :)
Last night, the JC pals came over to my place for Christmas dinner & countdown, and it was a feast for the eyes and the stomach as we had lovely Christmas-y decorations and accessories, as well as fusion festive food, lovely wine and great company. Yours truly decided to make cupcakes after the recent whooping success just a week ago and experimented with a new flavour this time: strawberry cupcakes. All was well and (supposedly) successful until my dear friend, Ch*k, bit into the cupcake and said, "Errr I don't think it's cooked leh." -.-" Apparently I shouldn't have put in the extra 2 tablespoons of leftover strawberry puree because the core of the cupcake was still moist, and thankfully I was able to salvage them by putting it back into the oven for awhlie more while the rest of them took the opportunity to tease me at my "strawberry cupcakes". Darn, now I've got a new nickname - just like ZQ and his pandan cake joke! :P
Nevertheless, it had been a great Christmas Eve and dinner celebration with the gang, and I was really really delighted and thrilled with the pressies I've gotten from them this year, although i think my mum wouldn't be too happy about it because they just added two soft toys to my collection when my mum has been telling me to get rid of all my Care Bears that are on display since the beginning of the year! ooops :P But the Fevo card was really a pleasant surprise, and it is so pretty and cute! On hindsight, I think outsiders who see my reaction to all these cutesy presents would probably think that I'm at least 10 years younger than my supposed age, especially when I go all "woooo!! ahhhh!! hehehehe!!" when they're exceptionally cute and cuddly presents :D
This Christmas has been fantabulous, one of the best Christmases that I've ever remembered having :)
And it really feels very different when one spends such festive season and month with no emotional burdens or ups-and-downs.
I'm really happy :)
While doing the spring cleaning, I stopped for a good 2 hours when I opened the box containing birthday and Christmas cards from more than a decade ago and I couldn't help but give myself a break to re-read those cards and letters. As I read them, my heart was filled with a warmth that is indescridable and I discovered that I can be quite a sentimental person, considering that I keep letters and cards from my secondary school friends even. And of course, I still have birthday, Christmas cards, letters and postcards from the group of friends whom I hold extremely dear to my heart, the same group of people whom I always spend Christmas with every year. Reading the content of the cards brought smiles to my face as I read each and every one of them, and it's even more heartwarming when you realized that these friends have been with you for the last decade, never failing to take the time to write a card for you, be it whether they are in Singapore, overseas or even when both of you are overseas together and your friend was waiting for you at some random cafe to finish your day trip to the museum :)
And it's been 10 years - it may not be long to some, but it definitely is long, to me, especially since we have all been through the ups & downs of our lives and seen each other in our most glorified, as well as most embarrassing, moments in our lives, and stepped into the different milestones of our lives - university, army, work, relationships etc.
I hope that there are many more 10 years to go for us, and I'm really really very grateful for this core group of friends, because they are the ones who remind me of who I really am in spite of all the confusions and ups&downs of life and its nonsense - and even more so, who and what more I can be. :)
***
This Christmas has been very eventful, I would say, what with all the meet-ups with friends after a busy day at work. Needless to say, with Christmas comes festive food and drinks (it's a festive season!) and the only drawback about Christmas (and December at that, because of my birthday and all the birthday treats etc) is the putting on of weight. :( boohoos, but this year has been relatively good - perhaps it's really the case where as one gets older, his/her appetite generally gets smaller and hence less food-bingeing during festive seasons & celebrations :P
Furthermore with the parents away for holiday from last Saturday for a week and brother overseas for work, I was home alone for 5 days, with the luxury of the car and having the ability to ask friends to come over to watch TV after seafood dinner and spending some quality time together just to chill and relax :)
Last night, the JC pals came over to my place for Christmas dinner & countdown, and it was a feast for the eyes and the stomach as we had lovely Christmas-y decorations and accessories, as well as fusion festive food, lovely wine and great company. Yours truly decided to make cupcakes after the recent whooping success just a week ago and experimented with a new flavour this time: strawberry cupcakes. All was well and (supposedly) successful until my dear friend, Ch*k, bit into the cupcake and said, "Errr I don't think it's cooked leh." -.-" Apparently I shouldn't have put in the extra 2 tablespoons of leftover strawberry puree because the core of the cupcake was still moist, and thankfully I was able to salvage them by putting it back into the oven for awhlie more while the rest of them took the opportunity to tease me at my "strawberry cupcakes". Darn, now I've got a new nickname - just like ZQ and his pandan cake joke! :P
Nevertheless, it had been a great Christmas Eve and dinner celebration with the gang, and I was really really delighted and thrilled with the pressies I've gotten from them this year, although i think my mum wouldn't be too happy about it because they just added two soft toys to my collection when my mum has been telling me to get rid of all my Care Bears that are on display since the beginning of the year! ooops :P But the Fevo card was really a pleasant surprise, and it is so pretty and cute! On hindsight, I think outsiders who see my reaction to all these cutesy presents would probably think that I'm at least 10 years younger than my supposed age, especially when I go all "woooo!! ahhhh!! hehehehe!!" when they're exceptionally cute and cuddly presents :D
This Christmas has been fantabulous, one of the best Christmases that I've ever remembered having :)
And it really feels very different when one spends such festive season and month with no emotional burdens or ups-and-downs.
I'm really happy :)